


A New Chapter

by samsimpala



Series: The Messenger of God Saga [7]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Fluff, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Season 8, Unplanned Pregnancy, trials!sam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:33:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 47
Words: 126,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26881477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samsimpala/pseuds/samsimpala
Summary: Dean's back from Purgatory and finds out that Sam and Angela have stopped hunting, & more importantly, they're expecting a baby. The Leviathans are gone, Castiel is dead, & Kevin is in the wind, but the Winchesters are looking for a way to close the Gates of Hell forever. How will the hunters deal with a baby & the trials? Find out in A New Chapter! Revision of Season 8. Sam x OC.
Relationships: Sam Winchester/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Messenger of God Saga [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1888270
Kudos: 5





	1. We Need to Talk About Kevin Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hey guys! This is the seventh installment of The Messenger of God Saga, and it involves my OC, Angela Morgan :) This will be a revision of season 8, and the story will follow the perspectives of Sam, Dean, and Angela, so some parts will be cut out.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or the characters in any shape or form! I just own Angela :) Enjoy!

_100 Mile Wilderness, Maine_

A young man and woman were asleep in a tent when a bright light appeared outside. The woman sat up in alarm and shook the man awake.

"Will, get up," she whispered. "Something just happened."

The light outside disappeared. Footsteps approached the tent and a figure walked past.

"Go." The woman stressed. "Go do something!"

"W-what are we supposed to…" Will muttered as he grabbed a flashlight and went outside the tent. "Hello? Hello?" he called out. Will stood for a moment, pointing his flashlight into the darkness. "It was a deer." He turned back to the tent door. "I don't know. It was like—it was a deer or something." He explained. He heard a noise, turned around again, and gasped. "Oh!"

Dean, bloodstained and dirty, held an ax-like weapon. He stood in front of Will. "Where am I?" Dean demanded.

"What?" Will asked.

The woman came out of the tent. Dean cocked a gun and pointed it at the couple.

"W—hey, hey." Will held his hands up.

"Where's the road?" Dean growled.

"Twelve miles that way." Will pointed.

Keeping his gun pointed at the couple, Dean grabbed a backpack from the ground and ran off.

~/~\~

_Clayton, Louisiana_

An orange pick-up truck came to a stop. Dean got out and the driver pointed directions. Dean nodded in thanks before he walked down the road, holding his left arm.

~/~\~

A sign on a stone pillar marking someone's land read _'Lafitte'_. Dean read the sign and walked onto the land. Carrying a shovel and holding his left arm, Dean paced slowly and deliberately from a windmill.

"This better be you, you son of a bitch," Dean muttered.

Dean started to dig, grunting as if he were in pain. After a while, Dean threw the shovel down and hoisted himself up to sit on the edge of the grave as he dug.

"Alright," Dean stood up. "Hold on, you bastard." He added as he rolled up his sleeve. His forearm was glowing red and pulsing. "Hold on!" Dean cut his left arm with a large knife. "Anima corpori…Fuerit corpus…totem resurgent."

Dean groaned in pain as some sort of light played over the bones. As the light vanished, he dropped to the ground.

"Wow," Dean muttered, rolled down his sleeve. He turned around to see a man, Benny, behind him. "Wow. That was fast."

"No thanks to you," Benny replied. "The hell took you so long?"

Dean got to his feet, holding his arm. "You're welcome."

Benny cracked his neck.

"Everything working?" Dean asked.

"Good enough," Benny replied. He opened his mouth wide and vampire fangs descended, then retracted as he closed his mouth. "So…what now?"

"Like we talked about, I guess." Dean shrugged slightly.

Benny nodded. "Then this is goodbye."

"Keep your nose clean, Benny," Dean instructed. "You hear me?"

Benny walked towards Dean, holding out his hand. "We made it, brother. I can't believe it." He laughed, pulling Dean into a hug.

"You and me both," Dean replied.

~/~\~

_Kermit, Texas_

Sam was packing a bag in a dark bedroom. He gently shook Angela, who was sleeping in their shared bed. "Baby, you gotta wake up."

Angela groaned but reluctantly opened her eyes. "I don't understand why we have to leave, Sam."

"I'd feel safer if we were at Rufus's cabin," Sam shrugged slightly. "Look, I know nothing has come after us, but, please? You're five months pregnant and it would keep me at ease knowing that you and the baby are safe."

Angela sighed and sat up. "Fine. I just don't understand why it can't wait till morning." She grumbled.

"Come on, I've got everything packed." Sam helped her up.

Sam led Angela to the Impala and threw the bag into the back seat. Sam got in the car and the couple pulled out of the driveway. Someone watched from the shadows across the street.

~/~\~

_Whitefish, Montana_

The Impala pulled up outside the cabin and the couple got out. Sam opened the front door and he and Angela took a few steps inside. Dean pushed them to the ground and doused them with holy water.

"Dean, be careful!" Sam snapped. "What the…? We're not demons!"

Dean ignored Sam and poured Borax over Sam and Angela.

"Or Leviathans!" Angela exclaimed. "What—

Dean grabbed Sam's arm and cut it with a knife, causing Sam to gasp in pain. He then did the same thing to Angela.

"Or shifters. Good." Dean stood up. "My turn. Come on. Let's go." He held out the bottles.

"We don't need to," Sam assured. "We know it's you."

"Dammit," Dean rolled his eyes before splashing the holy water and Borax on himself. He held out a knife to Sam, who was helping Angela up, making sure she was okay. "Come on!"

"No!" Sam exclaimed. "Dean, can we just say hello?"

Dean rolled up his sleeve and cut his own arm. "Alright." He smiled and wrapped his arm. "Well…let's do this."

"I don't know whether to give you a hug or take a shower." Sam chuckled.

Dean laughed. "Come here." He held out his arms and they hugged. Dean pulled away and looked at Angela, finally noticing her baby bump. "Holy crap, kid, y-you're…"

"Pregnant." Angela grinned, hugging Dean tightly. "I'm five months along."

Dean hugged her back. "Congrats." He murmured. "I-I didn't hurt you just then did I? O-or the baby?"

"I'm fine, we're fine," Angela assured, pulling away. "You're alive, I mean, Dean, what the hell happened?"

Dean sighed deeply. "Well, I guess standing too close to exploding Dick sends your ass straight to Purgatory."

"You were in Purgatory?" Sam's brows shot up. "The _entire_ time?"

"Yeah, time flies when you're running for your life." Dean shrugged.

"Well, how'd you get out?" Angela's brows furrowed.

"I guess whoever built that box didn't want me in there any more than I did," Dean replied vaguely.

"What does that mean?" Sam frowned.

"I'm here, okay?" Dean replied.

"What about Cas? Was he there?" Angela questioned.

Dean walked a few steps away, his back to Sam and Angela. "Yeah, Cas didn't make it."

"What exactly does that mean?" Angela frowned.

"Something happened to him down there," Dean answered. "Things got pretty hairy towards the end, and he…just let go."

"So, Cas is dead? You saw him die?" Sam asked.

"I saw enough," Dean replied vaguely.

"So, then what, you're not sure?" Sam pressed.

Dean turned back to Sam and Angela. "I said I saw enough."

"Right." Angela nodded. "Dean, we're sorry."

"Me too," Dean replied. "So you—I can't believe you're actually here." He grabbed two beers and a bottle of water out of the fridge. "You know that half your numbers are out of service? Felt like I was leaving messages in the wind." He added as he sat down at the table.

Sam and Angela looked at each other, then at Dean.

"Yeah, we, we uh, didn't get your messages." Sam scratched the back of his head.

"How come?" Dean frowned.

"Probably because we ditched the phones," Angela admitted.

Dean raised his brows. "Because…?"

Sam shrugged weakly. "Because…we don't hunt anymore." He smiled tentatively.

"Yeah." Dean scoffed. "And Sasha Grey's gone legit." He added, causing Sam to exhale. "What?"

"Nothing." Sam shook his head. "Um, she did a Soderbergh movie."

"What?"

"She did a Soderbergh—

"No." Dean cut him off. "You guys, you quit?"

"Yeah," Angela replied. "Yeah, I—you were gone…Dean. Cas was gone, Bobby was dead. I mean, Crowley even shipped off Kevin and Meg to parts unknown. And then we found out I was pregnant."

"So, you two just turned tail on the family business." Dean clenched his jaw.

"Nothing says 'family' quite like the whole family being dead," Sam muttered.

"I wasn't dead." Dean stood up and walked around the couple. "In fact, I was knee-deep in God's armpit killing monsters, which, I thought, is what we actually do."

"Yes, Dean," Sam sighed. "And far as I knew, what we do is the thing that got almost every single member of my family killed. Angie and I didn't know what to do, so, I fixed up the Impala, and we just…drove. And then we found out that we were expecting."

"After you looked for me," Dean replied obviously. He frowned when the couple said nothing. "Did you look for me, guys?" he asked, causing the couple to look away. Dean nodded. "Good. That's good. Now, we—we always told each other not to look for each other. That's smart. Good for you." he added. "Of course, we always _ignored_ that because of our deep, abiding love for each other, but not this time, right, guys?"

"Look, we're still the same people, Dean." Angela sighed.

"Well, bully for you." Dean forced a smile. "I'm not." He added before walking away and slamming a door closed.

Sam sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Welcome back."

~/~\~

Dean was going through a box that contained burner phones. Angela was setting the table.

"You want some dinner?" Sam asked.

"Pass," Dean replied as he put an earphone into his ear.

"Okay." Sam sighed as he stirred something on the stove.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were at the table eating. Dean, who had been listening to the phone messages through the headset, turn to look hard at the couple.

"What?" Sam and Angela asked.

Dean took out the earphone and put the phone on speaker.

 _"Sam Winchester, it's Kevin Tran."_ The message played. _"Crowley had me in this warehouse, and I just escaped. I don't know where I am. And I don't know if he or—or any other demons are still after me. I need your help. Call me back. It's Kevin Tran."_

"When was that?" Angela asked.

Dean ignored her and played another message.

 _"Angela, it's Kevin Tran."_ The message played. _"I called Sam a week ago. Call me, please. I don't know what the hell I'm doing out here."_

Sam put down his spoon. "Okay," he sighed. "We get it. So, what, you want to strategize or something."

Dean played another message as the couple got up and walked over to him.

 _"Sam, it's Kevin."_ The message played. _"I'm…Whoo! I'm so good."_

"Is he…drunk?" Angela frowned.

 _"Three months since you two ditched my ass."_ The message played. _"Haven't slept for more than four hours a night. It's all good in the hood. Uh, if you're still alive, eat me."_

Dean played another message.

_"Eat me!"_

Dean played another message.

 _"It's been almost five months. I can only assume you're dead."_ The message played. _"If not, don't try and reach me. You won't be able to. I won't be calling this number anymore."_

Dean stood up. "He was our responsibility." He tossed the phone at Sam's chest. "And you two couldn't answer the damn phone."

~/~\~

Dean was reading on the couch. Sam and Angela were using the laptop at the table.

"Alright," Sam spoke up. "Listen to this—Kevin's last message. Listen to the background."

_"If not, don't try and reach me. You won't be able to. I won't be calling this number anymore."_

"Hear that?" Angela asked.

Dean turned slightly on the couch. "What is it?"

"I think he was on a bus," Sam replied. "Listen again."

 _"Last stop—Centreville."_ A woman's voice rang through.

Dean stood up and walked over to the couple. "Centreville? Centreville, where?"

"Michigan," Angela replied.

"And why would Kevin be in Centreville, Michigan?" Dean's brows furrowed.

"Because…" Angela typed something. "His high school girlfriend…" she turned the laptop to show Dean a page for Channing Ngo. "Goes to college there."

"That's thin," Dean argued.

"It's the best lead we got." Sam shrugged.

Dean raised his brows. "We?"

"You were right," Angela admitted. "He was our responsibility. So…let's find him, okay?"

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, and Angela put weapons and their bags into the trunk of the Impala.

"Hey," Sam tossed Dean the keys.

Dean looked the Impala over. "Well…no visible signs of douchery—I'll give you that."

Dean, Angela, and Sam got into the Impala. Angela sat in between the brothers. Dean paused and looked at the back seat.

"Smell like dog to you?" Dean asked.

Angela inhaled. "In the car?"

"You tell me." Dean looked at Sam and Angela, only getting a shrug from them. "Hmm." Dean started the car.

~/~\~

Dean was standing in front of a vending machine. Sam and Angela were unloading the car. Sam paused to look at Dean before he followed Angela. Two young boys ran across the parking lot shooting at each other with toy guns.

"Come on, I got you!" one boy yelled.

"No way." Another boy replied.

"You're dead!"

"No way, I'm not dead at all!"

Dean continued to stand in front of the vending machine, deep in thought.

~/~\~

_Dean was chasing someone in Purgatory. He lost the trail and stopped, then heard a rustling noise and set off again. The man he was chasing stopped running and Dean came up behind him. The man turned with a yell and grappled with Dean. Dean hit the man's arm, making him drop the weapon, then pushed him against the tree and held a knife to his throat. The man's teeth descended, revealing that he was a vampire._

_"Take a breath," Dean commanded. "Calm down. Where's the angel?"_

_"You're him. The human." The vampire snarled._

_"Where's the angel?" Dean asked again, this time with more force._

_"I don't know." The man replied._

_"Hmm." Dean hummed before plunging the knife into the vampire's arm, pinning it to the tree. Dean then picked up the vampire's weapon and beheaded him with it._

_With a yell, a second vampire tackled Dean to the ground. Dean reached unsuccessfully for the weapon as the second vampire held him down. Suddenly, Benny appeared, flung himself at the second vampire, and beheaded him. Benny turned to look at Dean with his fangs descended._

~/~\~

Dean shook himself from the memory and continued to stare at the vending machine. He swallowed thickly and sighed deeply at the memory.

~/~\~

Dean sat on the edge of one of the motel beds, rubbing his hands together. Angela was on the other bed, eyeing Dean suspiciously.

"Are you okay?" she asked as Sam came out of the bathroom.

Dean looked tense and nervous. "Yeah." He shrugged. "Yeah, hey, what do you say we blow this joint, hit the road?"

"Now?" Angela raised her brows.

"Yeah, Kevin's not getting anymore found." Dean reasoned.

"The kid survived a year without us," Sam replied. "He'll be okay for another 12 hours. Besides, when's the last time you slept?"

"Hmm." Dean hummed.

"What?" Sam sighed.

"Nothing." Dean shrugged. "Is that, uh, that how you guys rationalized taking time off? People will be okay?"

"People _were_ okay, Dean," Sam replied. "You're okay."

"Wow." Dean scoffed.

Sam pursed his lips as he sat down next to Angela on the bed. "Look Angie and I did what we promised we'd do. We moved on. We lived our lives."

"Yeah, no, I'm getting that," Dean muttered.

"Look, it wasn't like we were oblivious," Angela interjected. "I mean, we read the paper every day. We saw the weird stories…the kind of stuff we used to chase."

Dean shifted slightly. "And you said what? 'Not my problem'?"

"Yes." Angela nodded. "And you know what, Dean? The world went on."

"People died," Dean argued.

"People will _always_ die, Dean," Sam replied. "Or maybe another hunter took care of it. I don't know, but the point is, for the first time, Angie and I realized that it wasn't only up to us to stop it."

"Hmm." Dean nodded. "Look, I get it, you found out you were pregnant, and—

"Do you get it?" Angela interrupted. "Because I don't think you do. Sam and I had an opportunity to give our baby a normal life, and we took it. Anything else you wanna say?"

~/~\~

Sam sat on the edge of the bed and Angela leaned against him. Sam had his arm wrapped around her waist.

"Listen, I know this is gonna sound crazy to you." Sam sighed. "I don't even necessarily need you to understand. But…we didn't just drop out, Dean. I found a normal life with the woman I love."

Dean was on the floor leaning against the other bed, with his back to Sam and Angela. "Okay," Dean nodded. "But how the hell did you end up in Kermit, Texas?"

Sam and Angela shared a look.

"Sam hit a dog…" Angela admitted.

Dean turned to look at the couple and pointed a finger at them. "I _knew_ I smelled dog!"

Sam rolled his eyes. "And we knew you'd throw a bitch fit."

"Hey, the rules are simple, Sam," Dean replied. "You don't take a joint from a guy named Don, and there's no dogs in the car!"

"Alright, what about you?" Angela interjected.

Dean furrowed his brows. "What about me?"

"Look at you." Angela gestured. "You've still got that look. You're shaky. You're on edge. What was it like?"

Dean shook his head. "You guys wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try us." Sam pressed.

Dean sighed. "It was bloody. Messy. 31 flavors of bottom-dwelling nasties. Hell, most days felt like 360-degree combat." He explained. "But there was something about being there. It felt pure…"

~/~\~

_Dean was standing in Purgatory, holding the vampire's weapon._

_Benny retracted his teeth. "What, no thanks for saving your hide?" he drawled._

_"Sure." Dean nodded. "I won't shove this up your ass." He waved the weapon._

_"Mm." Benny hummed. "Awful strange way to punch your meal ticket, friend. I got something you need."_

_"Yeah, what's that?" Dean inquired._

_"A way out."_

_Dean laughed. "Even a dental apocalypse like you knows there's no such thing."_

_"There is if you're human," Benny smirked. "God has made it so. At least, that's the rumor."_

_"Bull."_

_"Suit yourself." Benny shrugged. "Maybe you've gone native. Maybe you like being man meat for every Tom, Dick, and Harry."_

_"Prove it." Dean narrowed his eyes._

_"Nah. You're either in or you're out." Benny retorted._

_"So, you just want to guide me out of Purgatory out of the goodness of your undead heart?" Dean raised his brows._

_"More or less." Benny shrugged._

_"What's in it for you?" Dean questioned._

_"I'm hopping a ride."_

_Dean frowned. "What?"_

_"It's a human portal, jackass," Benny replied obviously. "Only humans can pass through. I show you the door, you hump my soul to the other side."_

_"So, you're looking for a soul train." Dean clarified._

_"Sure." Benny nodded. "If that's what you're into."_

_"And how do I know this isn't a set-up? How do I know I ain't gonna end up like your friend over there?" Dean gestured to the dead vampire._

_"He was my friend," Benny replied. "Now you are. First rule of Purgatory, kid. You can't trust nobody."_

_Dean glared at Benny. "You just asked me to trust you."_

_"You see?" Benny smirked. "You're getting it now."_

_"Hmm." Dean hummed. "First we find the angel."_

_"Mm, three's a crowd, chief," Benny argued._

_"Well, hey," Dean shrugged. "Either you're in or you're out."_

~/~\~

Dean shook himself from the memory and stared absentmindedly. Sam and Angela shared a concerned look.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela were standing in a college dorm room talking to Channing. The three hunters were wearing their FBI apparel and Channing's roommate was using her laptop.

"The last time I saw Kevin was, like, a year ago." Channing shrugged.

"When he disappeared?" Angela asked.

"Mm-hmm." Channing nodded. "He stole his mother's car because he thought he was on a mission from God or something?" she added. "It was crazy."

"Shut up!" her roommate exclaimed. "My friend Adam—who got addicted to Adderall but got a perfs on his SATs, so it was totally worth it—same thing."

"Shut up!" Channing rolled her eyes.

"Serious. Mission from God." The girl replied.

Sam cleared his throat. "Look, Channing, we know Kevin was here."

"No, he wasn't," Channing stressed.

"And we understand if you're trying to protect him," Angela added. "But nobody can protect Kevin better than we can."

"I _hate_ Kevin. I wouldn't protect him." Channing replied.

Dean's brows furrowed. "I thought you two had a thing."

Channing scoffed. "Yeah, when he was going to Princeton."

"Wow." Dean's brows raised. "Just like that?"

"Yeah." The roommate nodded.

"Mm-hmm." Channing hummed.

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, and Dean were walking on the college campus. Sam had his arm wrapped around Angela's waist as they walked.

"So, why would Kevin come sniffing around here if not to see her?" Angela asked.

"No idea." Sam sighed. "Maybe we should split up, ask around, see if anybody's seen him?"

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, Asian kid, yea high, at a university. That should be easy."


	2. We Need to Talk About Kevin Part 2

Sam and Angela were sitting at an outdoor table using Sam's laptop. A dog barked, and Sam looked up to see a woman walking a large brown dog on a leash.

~/~\~

_Sam and Angela frantically entered the veterinary hospital. Sam was carrying a dog covered with a bloodstained blanket._

_"Help," Sam pleaded. "We need help. The dog needs help!"_

_A nurse, Roberta, pointed to a treatment room. "This way!"_

_"He just—he just came out of nowhere, right in front of our car," Angela added frantically as Sam lied the dog down on the table. "We need a doctor. Are you a doctor?"_

_"The doctor's coming, ma'am," Roberta assured. "But I'm not sure—_

_Sam's brows furrowed. "You're not sure what?" he asked. "This is an animal hospital! You save animals!"_

_"Sir," Roberta warned._

_"Save this animal!" Sam shouted._

_Angela rested a comforting hand on Sam's arm. "Sammy, you gotta calm down."_

_"Roberta, can you escort these two out, please?" Amelia asked. She stood in the doorway wearing her lab coat._

_"Yes." Roberta nodded._

_"I did this." Sam breathed, taking Angela's hand in his._

_"Come on," Roberta replied._

_Roberta, Angela, and Sam left the room._

~/~\~

"You okay, Sam?" Angela asked, shaking Sam from the memory.

Sam cleared his throat and nodded. "Yeah, sorry, I, uh, just zoned out for a bit."

"Clearly," Angela replied.

Dean came up and sat across from the couple. "Don't judge me. I got bubkis."

"Well…" Sam started.

"And here you go." The waitress came up and put a plate of food in front of Sam.

"Ah, thank you." Sam smiled before pushing the plate towards Dean.

Dean's eyes widened. "Sweet mother of God. It's for me? Seriously?"

"Check this out," Sam replied. "So, Angie and I went through campus security archives around the time Kevin should have been here." He added as Dean took a bite of his burger. "Anyone look familiar?" Sam asked.

Sam turned the laptop towards Dean, who was chewing with his eyes closed. The laptop showed security footage of Kevin wearing a baseball cap.

"Dude," Sam scoffed. "It's a burger."

"It's a treasure." Dean corrected. "Alright, so, what, Kevin comes all the way to campus and doesn't see his girlfriend?"

"We don't know…" Angela sighed. "But, Sam and I went to the computer lab and found the computer he was on."

"And?" Dean raised his brows.

"And we found the website he was visiting, found his account username, hacked into the website, found when else this username logged in, and then we reverse-tracked the IP address back to the original user, Kevin, who has apparently been using the same wireless router for two months," Angela explained.

"That is spectacular work." Dean nodded. "Any chance I can get that in English?"

"Yeah. We think he's in Iowa—at a coffee shop." Sam replied, showing Dean a map on the laptop.

~/~\~

_Fairfield, Iowa_

Sam, Dean, and Angela got out of the Impala and started walking towards the church.

"A church?" Dean asked skeptically. "You sure this is right?"

"Barista at the coffee shop swears he's seen Kevin ducking in here for the past few months." Sam defended. He tried the door, then knocked.

"Kevin," Angela called out. "It's Angela, Sam, and Dean Winchester. Open up." She added. After a moment she shook her head at the brothers.

Dean pulled out his lock-pick and started working on the lock.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked into the church and looked around. Suddenly, Kevin came around a corner and sprayed them with Borax from a large water gun.

"Stop! Stop!" Dean yelled. "Not Leviathans. It's us."

"What the hell happened to you guys?" Kevin demanded.

"Cliff Notes? I went to Purgatory. Sam and Angela hit a dog. Oh, and, uh, Angie's pregnant." Dean explained briefly.

Kevin's brows furrowed. "For real?" he asked as Dean wiped his face with his sleeve. Kevin finally noticed Angela's baby bump. "You want some towels?"

Kevin lead the way into the main room of the church. Symbols were painted on the floor.

"Who taught you all this?" Angela asked curiously.

"I guess…God." Kevin shrugged.

Sam's brows shot up. "God taught you how to trap demons?"

"Technically, yeah." Kevin nodded.

"Wait, wait, wait, hold on," Sam frowned. "Crowley kidnapped you. Angie and I saw that. But then you left a message saying you escaped. How?"

"Well…" Kevin sighed. "First he took me to a warehouse. There was a tablet there, like the last one."

"Wait," Dean interjected. "There's another tablet? So, another Word of God?"

Kevin nodded. "Yes."

"How many Words of God are there?" Dean asked.

"I just became a Prophet, like, a year ago." Kevin reminded.

"Well, did this tablet have a name?" Angela asked.

"Demons," Kevin answered.

"What about demons?" Dean pressed.

Kevin sighed. "As far as I could tell…everything." He replied. "There was something about Hell Gates."

"What about Hell Gates?" Sam's brows furrowed.

"There's one in Wisconsin," Kevin replied. "The tablet told me how to open it. There were ingredients for a spell."

"You showed the King of Hell how to open a Hell Gate?" Dean asked. "So that all the demons in Hell could come out all at the same time?"

"What?" Kevin scoffed. "No. I told Crowley I was opening a Hell Gate, but I was reading from another chapter—how to destroy demons." Kevin smiled proudly.

"You son of a bitch," Dean smirked.

"Wait," Sam cut in. "Where's the tablet now?"

"Safe," Kevin replied vaguely.

"Safe _where?"_ Sam pressed.

"Hey," Dean replied. "As long as it's safe, okay? Were you able to read anything else off the tablet before you stashed it?"

"Only the stuff about closing the gates of Hell," Kevin replied. "Forever."

"Come again?" Angela asked, her brows raised.

"Banish all demons off the face of the Earth, lock them away forever." Kevin grinned. "That could be important, right?"

Sam, Dean, and Angela looked at each other.

"Closing the gates of Hell forever?" Dean asked. "Yeah. Yeah, that could be important."

~/~\~

The three hunters exited the church and stood on the patio.

"Okay, if this kid is right, he's sitting on a bombshell," Dean noted. "Hell, he is the bombshell." He added. Dean frowned when Sam and Angela looked away. "What?"

"That." Angela sighed. "I mean, there's no way that Kevin's getting out of this intact, is there?"

"Well, he's doing pretty well for himself so far." Dean shrugged.

"Yeah, he got out." Sam sighed.

"And now he's in it…whether he likes it or not," Dean replied.

"So…free will, that's only for you?" Sam raised his brows.

Dean looked between Sam and Angela. "I can't believe what I'm hearing. Guys, we have an opportunity to wipe the slate clean." He replied. "We take Kevin to the tablet, he tells us the spell, we send every demon back to Hell— _forever._ Every single bastard that destroyed our lives, killed our mother, killed Angie's mother, killed Jess and Tyler…And you're not sure?"

~/~\~

Sam and Angela walked into the sanctuary, sitting in a pew behind Kevin.

"Kevin, Angie and I, uh…we owe you an apology," Sam noted. "Um…look, when you disappeared, and Dean disappeared, we…needed to clear our heads, and…you were probably one of the pieces that we should have been there to pick up."

Kevin turned in his seat so that he was facing the couple. "You two have been hunters since you were kids, right?"

Angela nodded. "Yeah, mostly. Yeah."

"Ever since I realized I was a Prophet…it's just hard to believe this is actually my life," Kevin admitted.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "It sucks right now. We know that. Um, it might suck for a lot longer, but…trust us on this—it gets better." He assured.

Kevin looked at the couple and nodded. "Yeah." He murmured. "You do know I'm not gay, right?"

Angela laughed at Kevin's comment, and Sam chuckled softly. The couple sobered up fairly quickly, however.

"Look, Kevin, if we can do this, get the tablet, get you everything you need to close the gates of Hell," Angela started. "There's a world out there where nobody—not Crowley, no demon—is chasing after you."

Kevin sighed deeply. "I guess I just don't see how I get from here to there."

"I used to not be able to see it, either," Sam admitted, earning a comforting squeeze from Angela. "But there is a way."

"Just give me five minutes," Kevin replied.

"Of course, hon," Angela replied softly.

Kevin stood up and walked off. Dean stood in the doorway watching Sam and Angela.

~/~\~

Kevin was walking into the room to join Sam, Dean, and Angela when the church started to shake. Angela drew Sam and Dean's attention to the floorboards breaking.

"We got company. Sam, Angie." Dean replied, handing Sam the demon knife and Angela an angel blade. Dean grabbed his weapon from Purgatory.

Sam's brows furrowed when he saw the weapon. "What the hell is that?"

"It's Purgatory," Dean replied.

Suddenly the doors flew open and two demons entered the church.

"Dean Winchester," the demon smirked. "Back from Purgatory."

"Spanky the demon." Dean sassed as Sam and Angela moved to stand near Kevin. "Yeah, I heard about you. You're the one that uses too much teeth, right?"

The demons snarled as they rushed towards Sam, Dean, and Angela. Sam managed to get one of the demons away from Kevin and Angela as Dean fought with the second demon. Kevin squirted the first one with holy water, distracting it long enough for Angela to stab it with her angel blade. Sam saw Dean struggling with the other demon and used the demon knife to stab it. Dean nodded at Sam in thanks and got to his feet.

"Hello, boys. Angela." Crowley greeted suddenly, with Channing at his side. Crowley eyed Angela slightly. "Good God, you and Moose are procreating…" he muttered before turning his attention to Dean. "Dean. You're looking…Well, let's just say Purgatory didn't do you any favors. Where's your angel?"

"Ask your mother." Dean sassed.

"There's that grade-school zip. Missed it. I really did." Crowley replied before turning to Sam. "Moose. Still with the pork chops. I admire that."

"Let Channing go," Kevin demanded.

"That's not Channing, Kevin. Not anymore." Dean warned.

"What an awful thing to say to the boy. Of course, it's Channing." Crowley retorted. "Kev. Last time we danced, you stole my tablet and killed my men. Tell you what. Come with me now, bygones. And I'll let the girl go back to…What's-The-Point U."

"He's lying." Dean glared. "You won't get Channing back. She's probably dead already."

Crowley sighed. "Will you please stop saying that?" he replied before turning to Channing. "Let the girl speak."

Crowley snapped his fingers and Channing's demeanor changed immediately. She looked around, clearly confused.

"Kevin?" her voice wavered slightly.

"Channing?" Kevin asked, brows furrowed.

"What's going on?" Channing asked nervously.

"There's a demon in you, and you're going to your safety school," Kevin explained quickly.

Channing's brows furrowed. "What?!"

"But it's gonna be okay!" Kevin assured.

Crowley rolled his eyes. "I-I-I-I just—I can't."

"No, no, wait." Kevin pleaded.

Crowley snapped his fingers again and Channing's eyes turned black.

"Okay. I'll do it." Kevin conceded.

"Kevin," Angela warned.

"Myself for the girl." Kevin continued, ignoring Angela. "But this all ends. Alright? No fighting, no nothing. It ends."

"Can't let you do that, buddy," Dean replied.

"Or what? You'll kill me?" Kevin challenged. "I'll grab my stuff." He told Crowley before leaving.

Crowley smirked at the three hunters. "Chin up. I'm a professional."

"This ain't over by a long shot, Crowley." Dean glared.

"Really, Dean, who writes your stuff? A marshmallow?" Crowley questioned. "Come on, Kevin! Chop, chop." He called. "Kevin?"

Crowley took a step forward and Dean raised the knife threateningly. Crowley snapped his fingers and the knife glowed red. Dean hissed in pain and dropped the knife quickly.

Crowley just smiled smugly at Dean and walked past the three hunters. "Kevin!" he yelled.

Dean picked up the knife and clenched his jaw slightly.

~/~\~

Crowley, with Channing behind him, opened another door in the church. Kevin stood in the room holding the end of a cord.

Crowley narrowed his eyes. "Kevin."

Kevin pulled the cord and holy water dropped onto Crowley and Channing, causing them to yell in pain.

"Sam, Dean, Angela, run!" Kevin shouted.

Crowley and Channing continued to yell and sizzle. Sam, Angela, Dean, and Kevin ran for the Impala as Crowley and Channing came outside the church.

"Find another meat suit," Crowley instructed.

Black smoke poured from Channing's mouth. Kevin watched from the Impala helplessly as Crowley snapped his fingers, causing Channing's neck to snap. The Impala sped away as Crowley wiped his face with a handkerchief.

~/~\~

The Impala pulled up to one of the pumps at the gas station. Dean's phone started to ring.

"Hello?" he answered. "Wrong number." He added before hanging up. Dean shook his head. "Automated jackass. Alright, anybody want anything?"

"I'm good." Sam shrugged.

"Salt and vinegar chips?" Angela asked, earning a confused look from both boys.

"You _hate_ salt and vinegar chips," Sam replied.

Angela shrugged. "The baby wants salt and vinegar chips."

Dean nodded and turned to look at Kevin, who was in the back seat. Kevin didn't respond. Dean looked at Sam and Angela.

"Kevin?" Sam asked gently. "How are you holding up?"

"Awesome." Kevin spat. "The King of Hell just snapped my girlfriend's neck. How about you?"

The three hunters just looked at each other.

"Alright, listen to me." Dean sighed. "I'm sorry about your girlfriend, okay? I am. But the sooner you get this, the better. You're in it now, whether you like it or not. That means you do what you got to do." He explained. "I'm hitting the head."

Dean got out of the Impala and walked towards the men's room. He stopped and made a call on his cell phone.

 _"There he is."_ Benny's voice rang through.

"How did you get a phone?" Dean asked.

 _"Would you believe they sell these things in convenience stores now?"_ Benny retorted. _"A lot's changed in 50 years."_

"Must be a hell of a lot to take in."

 _"Mostly it's the choices, you know?"_ Benny replied. _"So many choices…"_

"Yeah, I hear that." Dean agreed. "Listen, Benny, not to beat a dead horse. What we did down there is what we had to do. Now, I don't regret it for a second. But…you know, maybe until we both adjust, it's best we don't talk for a while.."

 _"There it is."_ Benny sighed.

"One day at a time, just like we talked about, right?" Dean reminded.

_"I think you had it right, bud."_

Dean's brows furrowed. "What's that?"

 _"Purgatory was pure,"_ Benny replied. _"I'm kind of wishin' I had appreciated it more. You know? Like you."_

Dean pursed his lips. "Listen, you got an emergency, you call me, you understand?"

 _"I hear you,"_ Benny assured. _"You keep your nose clean, too, brother."_

"Yeah," Dean replied before hanging up.


	3. What's Up, Tiger Mommy Part 1

Dean was eating a hamburger at an outdoor table. "Are you kidding me?" he asked through a mouthful. "You're kidding me."

"What?" Kevin asked. "Is it too much to ask if we can swing by and check on my mom?"

"Swing by?" Dean repeated, brows raised. "It's a day's drive in the opposite direction. You know that, right?"

"Yes." Kevin nodded. "I understand we're in a hurry."

"Okay, well, then, what's the problem?" Dean questioned.

Kevin clenched his jaw. "Channing's broken neck is my problem!" he snapped. "As in I'd rather not see my mom twisted into a corkscrew."

"Kid's got a point, Dean." Sam defended.

"Stay out of this." Dean retorted, earning a smile from Sam and Angela. "Kevin, your mom is fine," Dean assured as a waitress brought more food.

"How can you possibly know that?" Kevin asked.

Dean sighed. "Because Crowley needs her to be, okay? In fact, he's probably got the place stacked with bodyguards right now, protecting her so that when you do show up, they'll pounce on you both."

Kevin raised his brows. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"She's bait, man, plain and simple." Dean shrugged. "And you want to swim right up and bite the hook? Look, we have got Crowley by the short and curlies, okay? All we need to do is find the tablet, whip up the spell, and—boom!—sunshine and sandy beaches."

Kevin pursed his lips. "Dean, my mom's all alone." He pressed. "She's surrounded by demons. Can you really not understand why I want to make sure she's okay?"

Dean looked at Sam and Angela, who just shrugged. Dean rolled his eyes.

"Son of a bitch." He muttered as he threw his hamburger down onto the table. "Fine. Let's go."

~/~\~

_Neighbor, Michigan_

The Impala was parked across the street from a blue house. Dean, Sam, Angela, and Kevin were all looking at the house, Sam through binoculars.

"Tiger mom, 9 o'clock," Sam noted.

Kevin grabbed the binoculars from Sam. "Where?"

"Left window," Angela replied.

Kevin looked sadly at his mother. "She seems okay. Sad…but okay."

"Check out the mailman," Dean commented.

Kevin looked through the binoculars at a mailman putting letters into the mailbox. "Yeah, that's Carl. So what?"

"Yeah, well, Carl's filled your mom's mailbox three times since we've been sitting here," Dean replied.

Kevin frowned. "He's a demon?"

"And see the gardener?" Dean asked, pointing at the man watering plants in front of the house. "Think that plant needs any more water?" he added, noticing that water was running onto a path and down the stairs in front of the house.

~/~\~

The gardener was still watering plants with a hose. The water stopped flowing and he walked around the side of the house to investigate. Dean stabbed him with the demon knife, causing the demon to scream and fall down, dead.

The mailman was walking along the street in front of the house when he heard a noise nearby. His eyes turned black as he went to investigate. He walked through the unlatched gate to the backyard and found Dean and Angela standing there. The two hunters waved as Sam stepped out from behind the gate and stabbed the mailman with the knife.

~/~\~

Mrs. Tran and Eunice were sitting at the kitchen table playing cards.

"He'll be back," Eunice assured. "You just have to believe."

"Thanks, Eunice." Mrs. Tran replied sincerely. "And I do believe. I just…wish I could do more."

"Linda, you're doing all you should by staying here." Eunice comforted. "He needs to know he has a home to come back to."

Mrs. Tran was about to reply when suddenly there was a knock at the door. Mrs. Tran opened it to find Kevin standing there.

"Hi, Mom." Kevin smiled.

"Oh!" Mrs. Tran cried. "Kev—Kevin!"

Dean, Sam, and Angela stepped forward from either side of Kevin and splashed holy water on Mrs. Tran.

"Ah! Oh!" Mrs. Tran exclaimed, surprised. "What…"

"She's clean." Dean nodded.

Kevin hugged Mrs. Tran tightly, who cried with happiness in his arms.

Angela sniffed the air. "You smell that?" she asked, her face contorting in disgust. "Ugh. The sulfur is making me nauseous."

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked into the house. As Sam and Angela entered the kitchen, black smoke poured from Eunice's mouth.

"Et secta diabolica, omnis congregation, omnis legio, omnis incursion…" Sam chanted, causing the smoke to flow back into Eunice. "Infernalis adversarii, omnis spiritus exorcizamus!"

Kevin put his arms around Mrs. Tran as she watched in horror. Dean stabbed Eunice with the demon knife, causing a scream to erupt from Mrs. Tran's mouth. Eunice screamed as her body flashed with light. Sam stood protectively in front of Angela as the demon fell to the ground, dead.

"Eunice!" Mrs. Tran cried.

"That's not Eunice," Dean replied.

~/~\~

Mrs. Tran was sitting on the sofa. Kevin sat down next to her.

"Mrs. Tran, your friend was possessed by a demon," Angela explained gently.

"Have you ever seen _The Exorcist?"_ Kevin asked his mother.

Mrs. Tran gave Kevin a look. "Is that what you've been doing all this time—watching television?" she asked before turning to the three hunters. "Did you really have to kill her?"

"The demon would have warned Crowley where Kevin was if we didn't," Dean explained.

"And Crowley is the one who kidnapped you?" Mrs. Tran asked Kevin.

"Yeah." Kevin nodded. "He needs me to translate his stupid tablet so he can take over the universe or something."

"Which is why we need to get it so that we can slam the gates of Hell forever with Crowley inside," Dean added.

"So, that things like that don't ever happen again." Sam referenced Eunice.

Mrs. Tran paused for a moment before looking at Kevin. "Prophet of the Lord, huh? It does have a nice ring to it. I'll get packed." She replied as she got up.

Dean nodded. "We're gonna need a safe house since Crowley's been to the cabin, so—

Mrs. Tran's brows furrowed. "Safehouse? I thought we were going to get the tablet."

"Uh, we are," Dean replied. "You're taking a trip to a demon-free zone."

"And risk letting Kevin fall into the hands of this Crowley again?" she scoffed. "I don't think so."

"Mrs. Tran, all due respect, but Dean's right," Angela replied. "Crowley—he's not just a killer. He trades in torment. And if he can find a way to separate your soul from you, he'll take that soul and—and roast it till there's nothing left but black smoke. Look, it's best if you let us handle this."

"I understand." Mrs. Tran nodded. "But, it's not my soul I'm worried about. It's my son's."

"Kevin, you want to back us up here?" Dean asked. "Came all the way down here to pull her out of the fire, and now she wants to jump right back in."

Kevin shrugged helplessly. "Like I can tell her what to do?"

Dean and Mrs. Tran looked at each other. Dean finally chuckled and shrugged.

"Alright. Coming with us has conditions—uh, hex bags to stay off the bad guys' radar and, uh, you're gonna have to get inked up." Dean smirked.

"Do what, now?" Kevin frowned.

"Yeah, uh…" Sam pulled his shirt open to reveal his tattoo. "You too, shortstop. Keeps the demons out."

"Fine." Mrs. Tran shrugged.

"Really?" Dean scoffed.

"What, like it's my first tattoo?" she retorted before walking out of the room.

"I like her." Angela grinned.

Kevin just stared after his mother, clearly shocked. Dean smiled, somewhat admiringly.

~/~\~

Kevin whimpered as the tattoo artist worked on his arm. Next to him, his mother sat impassively as another tattoo artist worked on her arm. She reached out her hand for Kevin to hold. Dean, Sam, and Angela stood at the front of the tattoo parlor watching. Sam had his arm around Angela's waist.

"You smell it, guys?" Dean smirked.

Angela's brows furrowed. "Burning flesh?"

"Revenge. So close." Dean corrected before he looked up at Sam. "Hey, Sam, how'd you do that reverse-exorcism thing?"

"Just said the verse backward." Sam shrugged.

~/~\~

_Laramie, Wyoming_

Sam and Angela walked hand-in-hand through the bus station while Dean walked separately from them. Kevin and Mrs. Tran sat on the bench waiting for them.

"So, the place is clean, far as we can tell," Angela said as they met up with Dean.

Kevin handed the key to Dean, who waved it slightly.

"Alright," Dean sighed. "Positive thoughts." He muttered as he opened a locker. Dean frowned and turned to face Kevin. "You hid the Word of God in a diaper bag?"

"No." Kevin frowned.

Dean looked through the bag, which seemed to be empty. Sam just smirked.

"Shut up." Dean snapped as he tossed the bag back into the locker and slammed the door.

~/~\~

Kevin and Mrs. Tran were sitting on the bench again. Sam, Dean, and Angela, now wearing their FBI apparel, were standing with a guard in front of the lockers.

"Been nothing but trouble with these lockers. Got broken into damn near every day for a while. Could never figure out who it was till yesterday." The guard explained.

"Oh, so, you know who did it?" Angela asked.

"Sure." The guard nodded. "Was Clem Smedley, a guy who worked the desk before me."

"Please tell me he's down at County right now," Dean replied.

"Yep, waiting for arraignment."

"Thanks," Sam replied.

~/~\~

Clem, Sam, and Angela were sitting at the interrogation table. Dean slowly paced near the table.

"Should have known they'd plant LoJack in one of them bags," Clem explained. "Sharp guy, that Jerry. He'll be a fine replacement for me."

"Right." Angela nodded. "Well, in one of those lockers, there was a tablet. Do you know where it is?"

"Can I even acknowledge that without my Lawyer here?" Clem questioned.

"Uh, look," Sam shifted slightly. "I'm sure we can work out a little, uh, something-something with the locals if you just cooperate."

Clem suddenly looked interested. "What kind of something-something?"

Dean started to zone out, remembering something from Purgatory.

~/~\~

_Dean turned a slow circle with his ax weapon in his hand. Benny was standing in front of a humanoid monster that was sprawled with its back to a tree._

_"I don't think he knows, man." Benny sighed._

~/~\~

"Leniency?" Angela suggested.

Clem shifted slightly, tempted by the offer.

~/~\~

_Dean leaned over and put a hand on the monster's shoulder. "Oh, he knows. Where's the angel?" he glared._

~/~\~

"So, here's what I'm thinking—full immunity from all charges…" Clem suggested as Dean removed his tie. "Both past, present, and future."

Dean walked behind Clem and put the tie around his neck. He pulled Clem to his feet, pushed him against the wall, and held a knife to his throat.

"Hey!" Sam rapped his hand on the table, trying to get Dean's attention.

"Dean!" Angela snapped.

"You…" Dean glared.

~/~\~

_Dean smirked menacingly at the monster, who was now chained to the tree. "Feel that?"_

_"There's a stream." The monster breathed._

_"Go on." Dean glared._

_"It runs through a clearing not far from here. I'll show you."_

_Dean held the tip of the knife against the monster's throat under its chin. "How about you just tell me?"_

~/~\~

"Hey!" Sam snapped.

Dean was still holding his knife to Clem's throat.

"Dean!" Angela yelled.

Clem stared at Dean with wide eyes. "Pawnshop, First and Main."

~/~\~

_"Go on," Dean demanded._

_"Three day's journey." The monster replied. "Follow the stream. There's a clearing. You'll find your angel there."_

_Dean looked behind him at Benny, who raised a brow. He turned back to the monster. "You know what, Mutt? I believe you."_

_Dean pushed the knife into the monster's skull from under its chin. The monster started to choke and gurgle. Dean yanked the knife out and the monster's head fell forward._

~/~\~

"Dean?" Sam pressed.

Dean removed the tie from Clem's neck.

"Come on," Angela demanded.

Sam, Dean, and Angela left the interrogation room.

~/~\~

A red Ferrari was parked on the side of the street. The Impala pulled up and Dean, Sam, Angela, Kevin, and Mrs. Tran got out.

"Whoa," Kevin smirked as he looked at the Ferrari.

"Hey." Mrs. Tran said, moving her finger in a circular motion.

~/~\~

"Hello, sir," Sam greeted as they walked into the pawnshop. "Agents Neil, Sixx, and Kelly." He flashed his badge. "Uh, we're looking for a tablet."

"About, uh, yea big, got some hieroglyphic crap on it," Dean added.

"Sold to you by a thief named Clem. Ring a bell?" Angela asked.

"Nope." The clerk replied nonchalantly.

Dean looked at the clerk's name tag. "Hey, Lyle, I've had a really, _really_ bad day today, so I'm not in the mood to dilly-dally. If you want to do this the rough way, I am happy to oblige."

"Sure." Lyle nodded. "We can do it that way, if you want to get famous." He gestured to the security cameras.

Mrs. Tran walked up to the counter. "That your car outside?"

"What's it to you, mail-order?" Lyle retorted.

"Hey!" Dean slammed his hand on the counter. "Pal!"

"I got it." Mrs. Tran waved him off. "I notice you're driving with expired tags, maybe because you just acquired it in a trade, and I'm guessing that means you haven't registered it yet, which means you haven't paid the tax. Is that correct?"

"None of your business," Lyle replied defensively.

"Kevin, average blue book on a 2010 Ferrari F430 Spider?" she asked.

"$217, 000," Kevin replied.

"And the five percent Wyoming tax?" Mrs. Tran questioned.

"$10,850," Sam answered.

"$10,000. Something tells me you're the type who might balk at a tax bill that big." Mrs. Tran told Lyle.

Lyle shifted nervously. "W-what is this, an FBI audit?"

"No." Mrs. Tran replied. "But my brother, who happens to work for the Wyoming tax assessor's office could arrange that if he thought something untoward was happening here. So, what's it going to be—the tablet or that piece of Eurotrash crap you call a car?"

Dean looked on almost proudly and Angela smirked at the exchange.

~/~\~

Angela knocked on the door of Room 126. "Are you sure this is the right place?" she asked Dean.

"It's what the pawn slip says." Dean sighed.

"Kevin?" A man called out, causing all five of them to turn. The man was dapperly dressed and held a cane.

"Who wants to know?" Dean walked towards the man.

"Oh, relax, Dean. I'm not going to steal your Prophet." He assured. "Ah. And you must be Kevin's mother." He smiled at Mrs. Tran. "Um…Beau. And it is my absolute pleasure." He kissed her hand suavely. "And, um, Kevin. Imagine my luck. Here I was, working so hard looking for you that I never stopped to think you might be looking for me. I have something for you."

"What is it?" Angela narrowed her eyes.

Beau held up an envelope with Kevin's name on it. "An invitation, my dear lady, to a very exclusive auction."

"Let me guess—where you'll be selling the tablet?" Dean asked.

"Well, when we acquire an item as hot as the Word of God, it's smart to unload it as fast as possible," Beau replied. "And we are in such desperate need of a headliner for tonight's gala."

"Well, I hope you have four extra tickets to your little eBay party." Dean retorted. "'Cause the Prophet's with us."

"Oh, if you're worried about the safety of the Prophet, rest assured that we have a strict 'no casting, no cursing, no supernaturally flicking the three of you against the wall just for the fun of it' policy."

"Is that right? How'd you manage that?" Sam questioned.

"Well," Beau smirked. "I am the right hand of a God, after all—Plutus, specifically."

Dean smirked. "Is that even a planet anymore?"

Beau looked unamused at Dean's joke. "It's the God of greed. And my liege has warded these premises against Hell, Heaves, and beyond—quite necessary with some of the players we see. And incidentally, quite possibly the safest place your precious Prophet could be." He explained. "Mmm. Well, since time is of the essence, perhaps I'll just go ahead and add a plus-four to the Prophet's invitation. Copacetic?"

Beau tossed the envelope into the air and disappeared.

"Well, thank you, Mr. Peanut!" Dean shouted at the empty air. "Alright. What do we have to bid?" he asked, earning a scoff from Sam. "What? We can't just show up there empty-handed."

"Dean, all we have to our names is a few hacked gold cards," Angela replied.

"Alright. Well, then, we're gonna have to get creative." Dean shrugged.

"Huh." Sam looked at the Impala. "Well…"

Dean frowned. "No. Mnh-mnh. Say it and I will kill you, your children, and your grandchildren."

"Dean, I may be pregnant, but I'll still kick your ass." Angela threatened.

"Okay, okay," Sam interjected. "Uh…Wait a second. They—these auctions—they display the items to the bidders beforehand, right?"

"Yeah, so?" Dean asked.

"So, all we got to do is get Kevin close enough to memorize the spell," Sam suggested.

Dean pondered this for a moment. "What do you think, Brainiac? Think you can swing it?" he asked Kevin.

"Of course he can swing it…" Mrs. Tran replied. "If the bumper stickers on my Previa mean anything."

Dean looked at the Impala. "They didn't mean it, Baby."

~/~\~

A man opened the door to admit Kevin, Sam, Angela, Mrs. Tran, and Dean. They each walked through a metal detector, which sounded an alarm for Dean.

"Now, now, Dean," Beau chastised. "The system only works when everyone participates."

Dean huffed and put his gun into a box containing other weapons. He held up the demon knife. "I'll be back for this." He warned.

~/~\~

Various auction attendees looked at the items that were on display in glass cases. The items included a sword, a manuscript, and a large hammer.

"How the hell are we supposed to know who's who?" Dean looked around.

"It's pretty simple, Dean," Angela replied. "They're all monsters."

"Hey, hey." Dean rushed.

Dean and the others walked over to a display case containing the tablet. A piece of metal had been affixed in front of the tablet so it couldn't be read.

"Great," Dean said sarcastically.

"I guess we're not as original as we thought." Kevin sighed.

"It's okay. It's okay." Sam assured. "We just got to come up with a plan 'B'."

"And what, pray tell, could possibly have been plan 'A'?" Crowley asked, causing them all to turn around. "Bring the Prophet to the most dangerous place on Earth, memorize the tablet, and then vamoose? Hello, boys. Angela."


	4. What's Up, Tiger Mommy Part 2

"Crowley." Dean glared.

"Kevin." Crowley ignored Dean. "What a pleasure to see you. Sorry about our little playdate. Her name? Ah. Well, if you're gonna make an omelet, sometimes you have to break some spines." He explained before looking at Mrs. Tran. "And who is this lovely young thing? Must be your sister."

Mrs. Tran slapped Crowley hard across the face.

"Ah!" Crowley yelled.

"Stay away from my son." She glared.

"Charming." Crowley held a hand to his cheek. "Defiling her corpse just made number one on my to-do list."

Dean stepped forward, but Angela moved to stop him.

"Unh, unh, unh, unh," Crowley warned. "Don't mind a little love tap, but anything more, and our Mookie pals here may just throw you out, and that would be a shame."

"He's right, Dean. It's not worth it." Angela replied.

"Listen to Bambi, Squirrel." Crowley glared as a bald man entered the room. "Ah. Here comes our host."

"Honored guests, please take your seats." A man's voice boomed.

"That's Plutus?" Dean scoffed. "What is he, God of the candy aisle?"

"Ladies and gentlemen, the auction is starting." Beau smiled at the group.

"Good luck with the bidding," Crowley replied before walking off.

"Nice right hook." Sam complimented Mrs. Tran as they walked towards their seats.

A young man in a fast-food employee's uniform walked up to Dean. "Dean Winchester?"

Dean stopped walking and his brows furrowed. "Do I know you?"

"Uh, no, but, uh, I knew Castiel."

Dean's brows shot up immediately. "You're an angel?"

"This—this was the nearest vessel on short notice. We don't usually come to things like this, but, uh…" the young man explained.

"You're chasing the magic rock?" Dean asked.

"We protect the Word of God."

"Well, awesome job so far, uh…" Dean read the young man's name tag. "Alfie."

"Actually, my name is Samandriel." He corrected.

"Let's just stick with Alfie." Dean shrugged.

Samandriel pursed his lips. "I wanted to ask you about Castiel. What happened to him?"

Dean sighed deeply. "Well, me and Cas—we, uh—we iced Dick Roman and got a one-way rocket ride to Purgatory for our trouble."

"But you escaped." Samandriel replied. "Did—did Castiel?" he asked, earning no response from Dean. Samandriel sighed sadly. "You know, there are some in Heaven who still believe, despite his mistakes, that Castiel's heart was always in the right place."

"Are you one of them?" Dean questioned.

"I think too much heart was always Castiel's problem." Samandriel replied softly before walking away.

Dean sighed and pursed his lips, zoning out slightly.

~/~\~

_Castiel was washing his hands and face at a stream. Dean and Benny approached._

_"Cas!" Dean exclaimed._

_"Dean." Castiel stood up as Dean and Benny walked closer._

_"Cas." Dean laughed and hugged Castiel tightly. "Damn, it's good to see you. Nice peach fuzz." He added as he pulled away._

_"Thank you," Castiel replied._

_"You should meet somebody. This is Benny. Benny, this is Cas." Dean introduced._

_"Hola." Benny greeted._

_Castiel's brows furrowed slightly. "How did you find me?"_

_"The bloody way," Dean replied. "You feeling okay?"_

_"You mean am I still…" Castiel pointed to his head and made a circular motion with his finger._

_Dean chuckled. "Yeah, if you want to be on the nose about it, sure."_

_"No. I'm perfectly sane," Castiel replied. "But, then, 94% of psychotics think they're perfectly sane, so I guess we'd have to ask ourselves, 'what is sane'?"_

_Dean paused for a moment. "That's a good question."_

_"Why'd you bail on Dean?" Benny cut in._

_"Dude—_

_"The way I hear it," Benny ignored Dean. "You two hit monster land, and hot wings took off. I figure he owes you some backstory."_

_Dean sighed. "Look, we were surrounded, okay? Some freak jumped Cas. Obviously, he kicked its ass, right?"_

_"No," Castiel admitted._

_Dean frowned. "What?"_

_"I ran away," Castiel replied._

_"You ran away?"_

_"I had to," Castiel stressed._

_Dean clenched his jaw. "That's your excuse for leaving me with those gorilla-wolves?"_

_"Dean—_

_"You bailed out and, what, went camping. I prayed to you, Cas, every night!" Dean exclaimed._

_Castiel sighed deeply. "I know."_

_Dean looked slightly hurt. "You know and you didn't…What the hell's wrong with you?"_

_"I am an angel in a land of abominations!" Castiel replied. "There have been things hunting me from the moment we arrived."_

_"Join the club!" Dean snapped._

_"These are not just monsters, Dean. They're Leviathan. I have a price on my head." Castiel stressed. "And I've been trying to stay one step ahead of them, to—to keep them away from you. That's why I ran. Just leave me, please."_

_"Sounds like a plan. Let's roll." Benny instructed._

_"Hold on, hold on." Dean stopped him. "Cas, we're getting out of here. We're going home."_

_"Dean, I can't." Castiel sighed._

_"You can," Dean assured. "Benny, tell him."_

_Benny sighed. "Purgatory has an escape hatch, but I got no idea if it's angel-friendly."_

_"We'll figure it out. Cas, buddy, I need you."_

_"Dean…"_

_"And if Leviathan want to take a shot at us, let 'em," Dean smirked. "We ganked those bitches once before. We can do it again."_

_"It's too dangerous." Castiel shook his head._

_"Let me bottom-line it for you," Dean replied. "I'm not leaving here without you. Understand?"_

_Castiel sighed. "I understand."_

~/~\~

Dean shook himself from the memory as someone rapped a gavel to begin the auction. Dean took a seat next to Angela, who was sitting next to Sam.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and…other," Beau greeted. "Welcome to this once-in-a-lifetime event."

"Samandriel," Crowley smirked. "Slumming it, are we?"

"The first name in magical and alchemical esoterica." Beau continued as Sam, Dean, Angela, Mrs. Tran, and Kevin took out their wallets. "Our prices may be high, but our quality is unmatched, and we stand by our products."

"Don't know why you're so keen on that hunk of dirt," Crowley said as he sat behind the group. "So, it tells you how to blast back a few demons? I'll just make more. Can't get rid of all my black-eyed boys, Samantha."

Sam turned to look at him. "Yeah, we'll see."

"And across the plane…" Beau continued.

"Alright." Angela sighed. "So, how much we got for plan 'B'?"

"Uh, well, we got our hacked credit cards, $2500, and a, uh, Costco membership," Dean replied.

"Our first item, the amulet of Hesperus. Let's start the bidding with, um, three tons of dwarven gold?" Beau suggested, causing the hunters to share a look. "Ah. This lady. I have three. Do I have, uh, four? Ah. Four, gentlemen here. Four. Going for five. Five?" Beau rattled off. "Five to this lady. Do we have an advance on five tons?"

"Plan 'C'?" Sam asked.

"Big time." Dean nodded.

"Any other bids? Any other bids?" Beau asked.

"I'm gonna use the bathroom," Dean muttered, standing up.

"Sold!" Beau exclaimed.

Dean followed an auction staff member who wheeled away a trolley containing auction items. The staff member unlocked a room with a metal door and pushed the trolley inside, then locked the room again and walked back towards the auction. Dean bumped into him.

"Oh, sorry." Dean apologized.

Dean waited until the staff member left, then looked at the key he had pickpocketed from him. He used the key to unlock the door, revealing two men.

"This isn't the men's room!" Dean played dumb, glancing at the tablet. "Okay." He chuckled, closing the door.

~/~\~

"Our next item up for bid, the hammer of Thor, Mjolnir," Beau explained.

"A finger bone from the frost giant Ymir." Mr. Vili offered, holding up the bone.

Beau looked at Plutus, who shook his head.

"Uh…the bone and, uh…" Mr. Vili held up a bloodstained brown paper bag. "5/8 of a virgin."

Sam visibly recoiled and Angela looked nauseous. Dean walked back into the room, sitting down on the other side of Sam. Plutus nodded.

"Ah. Sold." Beau smiled.

"Plan 'C' tanked," Dean muttered.

"Maybe you should try plan 'D' for dumbass," Crowley smirked.

"Our next lot, the Word of God…" Beau held up the tablet. "Capital 'G'—very old, very rare."

Crowley stood up. "Three billion dollars."

"Whoa." Dean, Sam, and Angela said simultaneously.

Samandriel stood up. "The Mona Lisa."

"The _real_ Mona Lisa." Crowley countered. "Where she's topless."

"Vatican City." Samandriel offered.

"Alaska." Crowley countered.

Beau scoffed. "Palin and a bridge to nowhere? No, thanks."

"Alright. The moon." Crowley offered.

Angela's brows furrowed. "You're bidding the moon?"

"Yeah. Claimed it for Hell." Crowley shrugged. "Think a man named Buzz gets to go into space without making a deal?"

"Ah. I'm sorry, gentlemen." Beau sighed. "It seems that our reserve price has not been met. So, in order to stimulate the bidding, we're going to add an item to this lot…" he pointed at Kevin. "Kevin Tran, Prophet of the Lord."

Mrs. Tran gasped as Kevin disappeared.

Mrs. Tran stood up. "No!"

Kevin reappeared, chained near Plutus. Sam, Dean, and Angela stood up, but two auction employees behind them forced them back into their seats forcefully.

Sam glared up at the one who had shoved Angela. "Hey!" he snapped.

"Mr. Tran is the only person on Earth who can read this tablet, which makes them a perfect matching set," Beau explained.

"So out of your league." Crowley chuckled.

"So, do I hear a bid of, um—

"No, stop!" Mrs. Tran cried. "I'll give you whatever you want. I have a 401K, my house!"

Plutus just chuckled.

"Good effort, Ms. Tran, but I'm afraid this is a little out of your price range," Beau replied condescendingly.

"My soul." Mrs. Tran offered.

"Mom, don't!" Kevin exclaimed.

"I bid my soul!" Mrs. Tran yelled.

"Are you sure?" Dean asked. "That's a big move."

"Interesting," Plutus smirked.

"If it's souls that you're after, I can give you a million souls." Crowley shrugged.

Dean turned to look at Samandriel. "Hey, flyboy, are you gonna get in on this?"

Samandriel shook his head. "We guard the souls in Heaven. We don't horse-trade them."

"So we have a deal," Crowley commented.

"It's not about the quantity, chief," Plutus replied. "It's about sacrifice. This little lady's soul is the most valuable thing she has. It's everything. Are you willing to offer everything, Mr. Crowley?"

"Tick-tock," Dean smirked.

"Fine." Crowley pursed his lips. "You win. I bid…my own soul!"

Plutus laughed. "Mr. Crowley, you don't have a soul." He replied. "Congrats, sweetheart." He smiled at Mrs. Tran.

"Thank you. Thank you." Mrs. Tran breathed.

Crowley left the room. Kevin looked distressed and Mrs. Tran afraid.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela were sitting with Mrs. Tran in the room where the auction had been held.

"Losing my soul—is it going to hurt?" she asked.

"Probably." Dean nodded.

"Will I die?" Mrs. Tran asked.

"No," Sam replied. "You'll just wish you were dead."

"Okay." She whispered.

Beau walked into the room. "It's time."

Dean, Sam, and Angela stood up while Mrs. Tran remained seated.

"Are you okay?" Angela asked gently.

Mrs. Tran was on the verge of tears. "Yeah. Can I—can I just have a minute?"

The three hunters walked a few steps away.

"Guys, this sucks." Sam sighed.

"Are you kidding me?" Dean scoffed. "We're about to close the gates of Hell forever. If you ask me, we got off cheap."

Dean, Sam, and Angela left the room.

~/~\~

Mr. Vili picked up Thor's hammer. "Mjolnir, I've missed you." He cradled the hammer to his chest and walked off.

Beau and Mrs. Tran walked up to Sam, Dean, and Angela.

"Where's the kid?" Dean asked.

Plutus snapped his fingers and Kevin appeared.

"What are you going to do with her soul?" Angela asked.

"Whatever I want." Plutus shrugged. "I might sell it, or maybe I'll just tuck it away with my other precious objects, let them keep me warm at night. Mm." he chuckled. Plutus held out his hands. "Whenever you're ready, dear."

After a pause, Mrs. Tran held out a hand and stepped forward.

"Wait!" Dean exclaimed.

Dean grabbed Mrs. Tran's outstretched arm and pushed up her sleeve. Her demon-proofing tattoo had been burned off.

"Hello, boys. Angela." She greeted in Crowley's voice as her eyes turned red.

"Crowley." Sam glared.

Mrs. Tran flung her arms out and sent the three hunters flying.

"No," Plutus frowned. "You can't. My warding spells."

"Your girl Friday showed me a few loopholes." Mrs. Tran smirked.

Plutus looked at Beau, who just smiled and shrugged.

"And all it cost me was an island in the South Pacific." Mrs. Tran added. "I love a bargain."

Beau stabbed Plutus from behind. Mrs. Tran pulled the stake from Plutus's chest and hurled it at a man who was guarding Kevin.

"Can't do all my tricks, but I can do enough." She smirked.

"Get out of her!" Kevin demanded.

Dean reached into the box of confiscated weapons and took out the demon knife. Mrs. Tran picked up the Word of God.

"If I had a nickel for every time someone screamed that at me." Mrs. Tran sassed.

Sam tackled Mrs. Tran to the ground, then got up and stood up next to Dean and in front of Kevin and Angela.

"Getting in touch with your feminine side, huh, Crowley?" Dean asked.

"Something like that." Mrs. Tran shrugged.

"Well, come and get him." Dean glared.

Mrs. Tran glanced at Kevin. "One out of two ain't bad." She replied before running off with the Word of God.

"Watch the kid!" Dean told Sam and Angela before he ran after Mrs. Tran.

Kevin tried to push past Sam, but Angela grabbed his arm.

"Kevin, don't!" Angela exclaimed. "Let Dean take care of it."

Beau pointed the gun at Sam and Angela.

"Sam, Angie, move!" Kevin yelled, pushing them out of the way.

Beau shot, but missed as Sam grabbed Angie and ducked for cover.

~/~\~

Mrs. Tran continued to run through the warehouse with Dean following close behind.

~/~\~

Beau continued to shoot at Sam and Angela, who were behind an upturned table with Mr. Vili.

Sam turned to Angela, his brows furrowed in concern. "Are you okay, baby?"

Angela nodded. "Mmhmm. You?"

Sam rested a hand on Angela's stomach and kissed her quickly. "I'm fine."

Kevin started to head towards the exit.

"Don't!" Beau yelled, causing Kevin to stop. "You know what's better than one private island? Two private islands."

Sam came up behind Beau and swung Thor's hammer at the back of Beau's head. Lightning crackled as Beau fell. Kevin ran out of the room.

Angela stood up and ran over to Sam. Mr. Vili stood up, still standing behind the table.

"Okay. Give it back." Mr. Vili pleaded. "Give it back."

Sam held out Thor's hammer to Mr. Vili, then stopped. "Where'd you get the 5/8 of a virgin?"

Mr. Vili just smiled and shrugged. "Oh, no." he realized.

Sam swung the hammer at Mr. Vili and lightning crackled. The hammer fell onto a pile of Mr. Vili's clothes. Sam wrapped his arm around Angela and pulled her to him protectively.

"That was strangely hot," Angela commented. "You're like... Thor," she smirked.

~/~\~

Mrs. Tran was running through the warehouse. Dean caught her and pushed her against the wall. The tablet went flying along the ground. Dean held his knife to Mrs. Tran's throat as Kevin ran up.

"Mom!" Kevin yelled.

Mrs. Tran pushed Dean away and red smoke poured from her mouth. Crowley stepped out of a door, brushing off his coat.

"Well, that was exciting," Crowley commented. "Good luck closing the gates of Hell…" he picked up the tablet. "Without this."

Kevin was crouching down by Mrs. Tran, who was on the floor leaning against the wall.

"Surprising what mommy dearest has rattling around in her head." Crowley continued. "Want to know who your real father is? Scandalous."

"Crowley!" Dean yelled.

"I know we're not mates, Kevin," Crowley started. "But one word of advice— _run._ Run far and run fast. 'Cause the Winchesters—well, they have a habit of using people up and watching them die bloody. Toodles." He added before leaving.

~/~\~

Dean, Angela, Sam, Kevin, and Mrs. Tran were in the room where the auction had been held. Mrs. Tran sat unmoving in a chair. Kevin sat in front of her with a hand on her knee.

"Has she said anything?" Angela asked gently.

Kevin just shook his head, not looking up at the hunters.

"Listen, Kev," Dean sighed. "What your mom went through—it's hell. Trust me, I know. But she seems tough. She'll pull it together."

"You tried to kill her," Kevin replied.

"Kid, in this life—

"Shut up!" Kevin interrupted. "I don't want to hear any more of your crappy speeches. I just want to talk to my mom alone."

"Sure." Sam nodded. "Five minutes."

The three hunters walked out of the room, leaving Kevin and Mrs. Tran alone.

"Mom…" Kevin's voice cracked.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela were waiting in the next room.

"Dean, were you really going to, uh…" Angela trailed off.

"What?" Dean asked. "Slit soccer mom's throat? Yeah, I was. I wish I had."

Sam sighed. "Dean—

"It was _Crowley_ , guys." Dean defended. "No matter what meat suit he's in, I should have knifed him. I mean, yeah, it would have sucked, and I would have hated myself, but what's one more nightmare, right?" he shrugged. Dean frowned. "It seem a little quiet in there to you?"

Angela opened the door, only to see that Kevin and Mrs. Tran were gone. "Kevin? Kevin!"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Dean snapped. He noticed a folded piece of paper on a chair. "Hey."

"What?" Sam frowned as Dean unfolded the note. "What's it say?"

"Uh, that they bolted, that we shouldn't come looking, and since we lost the tablet, Kevin figures we don't need him," Dean explained.

Sam's brows furrowed. "Yeah, but Crowley still does! What's that kid thinking?!"

Dean pursed his lips. "He thinks people I don't need anymore—they end up dead."

"Dean, that—that's not true. You know that." Angela comforted.

~/~\~

_Castiel was hanging over the edge of a drop. A hand gripped his arm, preventing him from falling._

_"Dean! Dean!" Castiel exclaimed._

_The hand let go and Castiel fell a short distance._

_"Aah! Dean!" Castiel yelled._


	5. Heartache Part 1

Sam and Angela walked hand-in-hand while Dean walked next to them looking at his phone. Angela was carrying a bag of produce with her free hand. Sam picked up a red apple from a basket and took a bite.

"Wow. Guy goes to Purgatory for a few months, all hell breaks loose." Dean commented. "Check this out. A jogger in Minneapolis gets his heart ripped out."

"I'm guessing literally?" Angela asked.

"Only way that interests me," Dean replied. "And then, there's another article from a few months ago. Same thing happens, also in Minneapolis. What does this tell us?"

"Stay out of Minneapolis," Sam replied.

"Two hearts ganked, same city, a few months apart," Dean stressed. "I mean, that's got to be a ritual. Or at least some sort of a heart-sucking possessed, satanic, crack-whore bat."

Both Sam and Angela looked at Dean, confusion evident on their faces.

"A what?" Angela asked.

Dean rolled his eyes. "It's a case. Look, I say we hang out the shingle again and ride."

"We're on a case, Dean," Sam replied obviously. "Kevin and the demon tablet need to be found, so heart guy takes a number."

"Uh, we just spent a week chasing our asses trying to lock Kevin down, okay?" Dean retorted. "And look at us. We're…" he looked around. "Where the hell are we?"

"Farmer's market," Angela replied with a shrug.

Sam held up the apple he was eating. "Organic." He added, earning a look from Dean. "What? It's good for Angie and the baby."

"And we had some time off. We took the time to enjoy the good things." Angela noted.

"While avoiding what we _actually_ do." Dean scoffed slightly.

Sam sighed and pursed his lips. "Wow, Dean, does it make you feel that much better every time you say it?"

"Alright, look, I get it," Dean replied. "You took some time off to do yoga and play the lute, whatever, but I'm back. Okay, we're back, which means that we walk and kill monsters at the same time. We'll find Kevin. But in the meantime, do we ignore stuff like this? Or are innocent people supposed to die so that you two can shop for produce?"

~/~\~

The detective dropped a folder with photos of the dead jogger onto the desk. Dean, Sam, and Angela were in their FBI apparel.

"Here's what's odd about this thing—the guy wasn't chopped or cut into, no incision." The detective explained. "But his heart was ripped out of him like a peach pit."

"Was he robbed?" Angela questioned.

The detective shook his head. "Phone, watch, money all still on him."

"What about enemies?" Dean asked.

"He was in town for a conference. No local connections."

"You guys had another one of these a few months ago?" Dean questioned.

"Yeah," the detective nodded. "And we hit a brick wall. We had nothing to go on, really. Thought maybe we got lucky here." He added as he walked over to a TV. "A park surveillance camera picked up something."

They watched the heavyset man overtake the jogger on the security camera footage.

Dean's brows furrowed. "Huh. That chubby guy the last person to see the vic alive?"

"Other than the killer." The detective nodded. "Name's Paul Hayes. We, uh, pulled him in for questioning."

"So, what makes you think he's clean?" Sam inquired.

"Well, so far, no reason not to." The detective shrugged. "I mean, he said he briefly saw the victim, he ran out ahead, that was it."

Dean scoffed slightly. "What, you mean he didn't fall to his knees and confess to gutting the guy?"

The detective narrowed his eyes. "No. I mean we did a thorough check on the guy, not so much as a parking ticket came up. I mean, look at him. I mean, sure, he can run a little bit, but Thor he ain't. You think he's gonna grab Freddy fitness here and throw him down and rip out his heart?" he raised his brows. "I don't think so. Forgive me if I didn't take him out back and shoot him."

"Okay, uh, so…" Angela cut in. "Any idea where we can find this guy?"

~/~\~

Paul was mixing a smoothie in a blender as Sam and Angela waited at the counter. "Sorry," Paul apologized. "I kind of try to stick to a nutrition and workout schedule. Do you want a hit?"

Sam and Angela looked at each other.

"Uh, no thanks." Angela smiled politely. "We're good."

"Oh." Paul nodded.

"So, Paul, you passed a runner who was later killed." Sam reminded. "Did you speak with him at all?"

"Yeah, I went over this with the cops," Paul replied. "I-I-I didn't know him. I had never spoken to him. I ran past him. I never saw him again. The end."

A toilet could be heard flushing and Dean walked into the main room. Paul took a sip of his smoothie.

"Mm, oh." He cringed slightly. "It's disgusting. It tastes like crap, but it keeps you young."

"Thanks," Dean smiled. "Uh…too much fiber."

"No such thing." Paul returned.

"Thank you." Sam agreed, turning to Dean. "See?"

Angela cleared her throat. "Now, Paul, we couldn't help but notice that the jogger you outraced was a good deal younger than you."

"Yeah, and less, uh…" Dean trailed off.

"Uh, full-figured?" Paul chuckled. "You should've seen me before. Yeah, hugging a desk all day and watching TV all night, eating fried everything was killing me. I had a health scare a while back."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Sam replied.

"No, it changed my life." Paul shrugged. "I mean, I started taking care of myself."

"Now your body's a temple, huh?" Dean questioned.

"Where I worship every day." Paul grinned, taking a sip of his smoothie.

~/~\~

Sam walked through the café and joined Dean and Angela. "Alright, so…what's the word?" Sam asked. "What did you find poking around at Paul's?"

"Ah, just the usual," Angela shrugged. "Condoms, hair gel. No hex bags, nothing satanic, nothing spooky."

Sam sat down next to Angela and flipped through the papers. "So, he didn't seem like a guy who would be voted most likely to disembowel?"

"No, the never do," Dean replied as he used Sam's laptop. "Wait a minute. Here's another one."

Sam's brows furrowed. "What, murder?"

"And a do-it-yourself heart bypass." Dean nodded. "Two days after this one."

"What part of Minneapolis?" Angela asked.

"The Iowa part. Ames." Dean corrected.

"Well, Paul was being questioned," Sam replied. "There's no way that could have been him."

"This guy was a cop. This is exactly what happened a few months ago." Dean explained. "Guess you guys missed that one. I'm just saying."

~/~\~

"Arthur Swenson." Officer Levitt said. "Real to-shelf officer. 20 years on the force. He'd ordered a pizza, which the vic delivered."

"And then?" Angela questioned.

"The vic didn't make his next drop-off. His body was found on the walk in front of Swenson's." Officer Levitt replied.

"And he wasn't wearing a heart?" Dean asked.

"No. Heartless."

"And, uh, what about Swenson?" Sam asked.

"Crumpled on the front stoop." Officer Levitt replied. "Covered in blood, crying like a baby. Ironically, he had been in court all week, testifying."

Suddenly a phone started to ring.

"Hey, Levitt, line two." An officer called out.

"Excuse me." Officer Levitt apologized, picking up the phone. "Go ahead."

Angela sighed. "So, that couldn't have been him in Minneapolis."

"I hate when this happens," Dean muttered as Officer Levitt hung up. "So, this Arthur guy, what does—what does he have to say?"

"Uh…it's not real helpful." Officer Levitt warned.

~/~\~

Arthur was sitting at an interrogation table clasping and unclasping his hands as he repeated the same words over and over. "K'uhul ajaw, Cacao, shi-jiiy. K'uhul ajaw, Cacao, shi-jiiy."

"So, you getting his statement?" Dean asked, brows raised.

"Uh, yeah, k-kind of," Sam replied. "Probably not."

"It's too bad I dropped out of Lunatic 101," Dean muttered.

"Whatever it is, it sounds like he's repeating it," Angela noted.

"Look at his eyes," Dean added. "Hey, Arthur…did you do this alone?"

"Arthur, did some invisible voice tell you that you had to kill?" Angela asked.

Arthur banged his hands on the table, causing the hunters to flinch slightly. "K'uhul ajaw, Cacao, shi-jiiy. K'uhul ajaw, Cacao, shi-jiiy."

"Oh, now you've pissed him off," Dean muttered. "Hey, Art. Can I call you Art? Listen, I'm gonna sprinkle your arm with holy water." He took out a flask. "And it's gonna steam and burn if you're possessed by a demon." He explained. "He's a mushroom," Dean added as he poured holy water on Arthur's arm.

The three hunters waited, but nothing happened.

"Okay, not possessed." Sam sighed.

"Arthur, do you want to tell us who did this?" Angela asked.

"K'uhul ajaw, Cacao, shi-jiiy. K'uhul ajaw, Cacao, shi-jiiy." Arthur repeated.

Dean pursed his lips and nodded. "Okay."

~/~\~

Sam was playing the recording of Arthur. Sam, Dean, and Angela were still in their FBI apparel.

"So, what do you guys think?" Sam sighed, stopping the recording.

"Personally, I prefer the Keith Richards version," Dean replied.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Can you actually understand any of the words?"

"If they are words," Angela interjected. "Sounds like babble to me, Sammy."

Dean's eyes widened slightly. "Wait a second."

Sam's brows furrowed a bit. "What?"

"I bought a translation app." Dean grinned.

"You bought an app." Angela chuckled.

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "Here, play it." He held out his phone.

Sam sighed and played the recording again. Dean waited for a few moments.

"And babble wins," Dean noted. "Language unknown." He held up his phone.

"Mm." Sam nodded as his phone rang. "Agent Sambora." He answered. Sam frowned in confusion. "What?"

~/~\~

Arthur was lying on a hospital bed with a bandage around his head. Dean was talking to Dr. Kashi outside the room.

"So, Dr. Kashi, what are we looking at here, some kind of psychotic break?" Dean questioned.

"Oh, definitely." She nodded. "He was very thorough. Severed the optic nerve. He was determined to remove the eye."

Dean nodded. "And he used, uh, what to cut with?"

Dr. Kashi sighed. "He doesn't look strong enough, but he broke off part of the bed frame and used it as a knife." She explained as a nurse handed her a file. "Thank you." She nodded at the nurse.

"Wow." Dean's brows raised. "They should put warning labels on those beds."

"Like I said—determined."

"I noticed that he had two different-colored eyes," Dean noted.

"Yes." Dr. Kashi nodded. "Apparently, he was in an accident where much of one eye was shattered. His vision was saved with a transplant."

Dean's brows furrowed. "When was this."

Dr. Kashi looked over the file. "A year ago, almost to the date. And, interestingly, it's the transplanted eye he chose to cut out."

"Really?" Dean asked, surprised. "Hey, let me ask you something, doc. Is it possible to trace the donor of a transplanted organ?"

"Difficult." Dr. Kashi answered.

"But possible?" Dean asked, earning a smile from Dr. Kashi. "Hmm."

~/~\~

Sam was using his laptop on the bed and Angela was next to him eating from a small bag of salt and vinegar chips.

"Aren't you getting sick of those?" Sam wrinkled his nose slightly.

"Nope," Angela replied with a small shrug. "I can't help what the baby makes me crave, Sammy."

Sam chuckled, and Dean walked into the motel room carrying a drink and take-out food.

"Hey." Dean greeted.

"Hey," Angela replied. "Arthur Swenson, had an eye transplant a year ago, right?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded, walking over to the table.

"Well, we remembered that Paul Hayes was talking about a health scare he had a while back that changed his life," Sam explained. "So, we pulled up his medical records from Minneapolis. His health scare also happened a year ago."

There was a long paused as Dean looked at Sam and Angela.

Sam sighed deeply. "You want us on board, we're on board."

"Anyways," Angela cut in. "You want to guess who else, other than Arthur Swenson, had a transplant in the last year?"

"Paul Hayes?" Dean guessed.

"I gave it away, didn't I?" Sam retorted.

"Okay, so, we've got two suspects in two identical murders in two different cities that both had organ transplants a year ago." Dean recapped.

"Yeah." Angela nodded. "Also…"

"I love when there's an 'also'," Dean replied sarcastically.

"Sammy and I got to thinking about all that stuff Arthur Swenson was talking about." Angela continued. "Maybe your translation app called it 'language unknown' because it's a dead language, like ancient Greek or Manx."

"Manx?" Dean's brows furrowed.

"So, I e-mailed an audio file of Arthur's mumbling to Dr. Morrison," Sam added.

"Who?" Dean frowned.

"Dr. Morrison, the anthropology Professor who helped us out with the Amazons." Sam reminded.

"Yeah, okay." Dean nodded. "Okay. Well, let's get our asses on the road."

"Headed to…?" Angela inquired.

"Well, if we are in a repeat cycle, then, after the murders in Minneapolis and in Ames, the next heart attack was in Boulder, Colorado," Dean explained.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela were in the Impala driving down a dark road. Angela sat in between the brothers as Dean drove.

"Alright, the case is coming together. Things are coming together, guy. Just the three of us." Dean smirked. He glanced at Angela's stomach. "Four of us." He corrected. Dean frowned when neither Sam nor Angela responded. "Hey."

"What?" the couple asked simultaneously.

"What are you two thinking about, organic tomatoes?" Dean scoffed.

Sam and Angela looked at each other, answering Dean's question with a shrug.

"I don't know about you guys, but the last few months have given me a new perspective." Dean continued.

"The past few months have _definitely_ given us a new perspective." Angela agreed, resting a hand on her baby bump. "Believe me."

"I know where I'm at my best," Dean smiled slightly. "And that is right here, driving down crazy street next to you guys."

"Makes sense." Sam nodded.

"Yes, it does." Dean agreed.

"Or…" Sam sighed. "Maybe you don't need us. I mean, maybe you're at your best hacking and slicing your way through all the world's crap alone, not having to explain yourself to anybody."

Dean pursed his lips. "Yeah, that makes sense, seeing as I have so many other brothers and sister-in-laws I can talk to about this stuff." He sassed.

Angela sighed. "Look, we're not saying we're bailing on you, Dean. There's just…a possibility that Sam and I want different things than you."

"Exactly." Sam nodded. "I mean, I want my time to count for something."

Dean's brows furrowed. "So, what we do doesn't count?" Dean asked, interrupted by his phone ringing. "Yeah? Hey, Dr. Kashi. Okay. Thank you. Uh, could you run one more name for me?" he asked. "Yeah—Hayes, Paul. Uh-huh. And the donor? Seriously? How many others? Did anybody from Boulder, Colorado, receive any of those organs? Okay, thank you." He continued before hanging up. "Well, this is gonna singe your axons. She says that both Paul Hayes's kidney and Arthur Swenson's new eye came from—you ready for this?—Brick Holmes."

Sam's brows shot up in surprise. "You don't mean _the_ Brick Holmes."

"I do." Dean nodded.

"I'm sorry, who?" Angela interjected.

Sam's eyes widened slightly. "Babe, he was _the_ all-pro quarterback."

"Yeah, the guy played at the top of his game for like…a million years," Dean added.

"I was never super into sports." Angela defended.

"He bought it in a car crash last year, right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

"Nose-dived off a bridge or something," Sam added. "He must've signed a donor card. Did the doc say how many organs he donated?"

"Including our two suspects? Eight." Dean answered.

"Eight?" Sam asked, surprised.

"Eight," Dean confirmed.

"Okay, um, and one of them's in Boulder?" Angela asked.

"Nope. That's the bad news." Dean replied. "Good news is, Brick lived just outside of Boulder."

"Well, he's dead." Angela countered.

"Yeah, but he's all we got, so we are going to Boulder," Dean replied with a sense of finality.


	6. Heartache Part 2

Mrs. Holmes was sitting on the sofa while Sam, Dean, and Angela were in the chairs opposite her.

"I just want to say how sorry we are for your loss, Mrs. Holmes," Dean noted sincerely.

"Thank you." Mrs. Holmes replied.

"You know, Brick Holmes was my idol back in high school," Sam commented with a small smile. "Amazing career. Uh, 18 pro seasons, 7 division championships, 4 Super Bowls—never slowed down a day."

"Brick lived for competition and athletic perfection." Mrs. Holmes replied. "I don't think it occurred to his fans that he was human, like the rest of us."

"Do you know your son was an organ donor?" Angela asked curiously.

Mrs. Holmes looked confused at the question. "Does that make this a matter for the FBI?"

"Like we explained earlier, we're mostly here, uh, to dot some I's on a different matter," Dean explained.

Mrs. Holmes nodded. "There was a public awareness thing a few years ago. A lot of star athletes signed on. I'm sure Brick didn't think twice about it since he never thought he was going to die."

Dean chuckled. "A lot of jocks are like that, I guess. You know, I-I can't help but wonder what happened that night on the bridge." He replied. "There was light traffic, no alcohol involved, no skid marks. Big-time athlete, reflexes like a cat, how is it that he just drives off the side of the bridge?"

"When things happen that aren't supposed to happen, they're called accidents, I believe." Mrs. Holmes replied.

"So, everybody knows about Brick's football career, obviously, but no one knows much about his personal life," Sam noted. "Was he ever married?"

Mrs. Holmes shook her head. "Just to the game. He gave it everything he had. It's a difficult life."

"Did you notice any changed in Brick before he died—you know, anyone, anything new in his life?" Angela asked.

"No, no." Mrs. Holmes replied. "I don't think so."

"So, no new interests? Fly fishing, stamp collecting, the occult?" Dean asked.

Mrs. Holmes was taken aback. "The occult?"

"As a 'for instance.'" Dean replied.

"No." she replied firmly. "Everything was just as it had been. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid my time is up." She added as she stood up. "The university is naming a new athletic building after Brick. I can't be late."

"Of course." Angela smiled softly. "Just one more question."

"There is always one more question in life, isn't there? That's what I find." Mrs. Holmes replied as she headed for the door.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked out of the house and towards the Impala.

"Oh, she didn't want to say much, did she?" Angela muttered.

Dean frowned as he checked his phone. "Son of a bitch."

"What?" Sam asked.

"There it is. It happened." Dean sighed.

Sam frowned. "Come on, don't tell us someone had their heart ripped out in Boulder."

Dean pursed his lips. "Alright, then I won't tell you."

~/~\~

Sam was sitting on a bed talking on the phone and taking notes while Dean and Angela were at the table using Sam's laptop.

"Alright, Professor Morrison, that does it," Sam said. "The FBI thanks you. Yes, I am _totally_ looking into adding you as a technical advisor. Yeah, it—it does come with a medical plan. Alright, goodbye." He hung up.

"Did he come through?" Angela asked as she munched on some blueberries.

"Yeah, he did," Sam replied as he walked over and sat next to Angela, stealing a handful of blueberries. "Alright, so here's what crazy Arthur Swenson was babbling over and over. Um, first, it is a dead language—ancient Mayan."

"Doesn't get much deader than that," Dean replied.

"So, what Arthur was saying was, 'The divine god Cacao is born'," Sam explained.

Dean's brows furrowed. "Cacao?"

"Cacao." Sam nodded. "Yeah, the Mayan God of maize—corn, the big crop. See, Cacao was the most powerful god because maize was the most important thing to the Mayans. Well, that and torturing and killing everyone in sight."

"So, this is what we're looking for, is a thousand-year-old culture's god of corn?" Dean asked.

"Uh, I guess." Sam shrugged.

"Well, whatever it is, we better cap it quick, or somebody in Phoenix is next up to get their heart yanked," Dean replied.

"Someone in Phoenix got a piece of Brick?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I got a name. Just e-mailed the cops." Dean nodded. "Just heard back from them. They haven't seen the guy in days. Uh, oh, got another e-mail here, too. This one is for you." He looked at Sam. "From a university. Answering questions about admissions."

"It's just something he's looking into, Dean. An option." Angela defended.

Dean looked at Sam and Angela, disbelief on his face. "You two are seriously talking about hanging it up?"

"We're not talking about anything, Dean." Sam sighed. "I'm just looking at options, because in case you've forgotten, Angie and I are expecting a _baby_." He added. "So, what, should we just got to Phoenix and chase our tails until this guy shows his face?"

"No. Uh, Brick Holmes is the way into this." Dean replied as he stood up and walked across the room. "Eleanor Holmes was doing her damnedest not to tell us a thing. Nice job changing the subject, though."

Sam sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Angela took his hand in hers and squeezed reassuringly.

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, and Angela walked up the stairs of the Holmes residence using flashlights.

"Alright, the naming ceremony's over at 10. We got to get in and out." Dean noted.

"Master bedroom," Sam replied.

"Yeah." Dean nodded as they entered a large room. "Closets."

Dean entered one walk-in closet while Sam and Angela walked into the second one, flipping on the lights.

"Brick's closet. Looks like this stuff hasn't been touched in a year. Man, what this stuff would go for on eBay." Dean muttered as he rummaged through a drawer, finding a bottle of peroxide. "Hey, Sammy, would it totally crush you to know that your boy Brick wasn't a natural blond?"

"Dean, this is really weird," Angela noted from the other closet.

"What do you got?" Dean asked.

"I don't know…" Angela replied. "Is this Eleanor's closet?"

"Why would his mother's closet be in here? Are you sure?" Dean asked.

Sam took a jacket and scarf off the hanging rack. "Check this out." He noted as he and Angela stepped out of the closet. "This is what she was wearing today when we talked to her."

"Maybe she moved into Brick's room after he died." Dean shrugged. "Or…" he looked at the bed.

Sam and Angela followed Dean's gaze. Angela's nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Oh, disgusting, Dean!" she reprimanded.

"Oh. Thanks, Dean." Sam replied sarcastically. "Now that image is permanently etched into my retinas."

They went back into their respective closets. Dean found another door hidden behind hanging clothes.

"That's what I'm talking about," Dean smirked.

Sam and Angela followed Dean into the hidden room, which was filled with sports trophies and memorabilia.

"Wow." Sam looked around with wide eyes. He pushed past Dean and grinned. "I knew he'd have something like this in his house."

Angela smiled softly as Sam looked around the room. This was a side of him that she rarely got to see.

"This is a lot of hardware," Dean noted, breaking Angela from her thoughts. "Okay, football trophies I get, but there's a lot of other stuff here—I mean, baseball, boxing, race-car driving."

"He was a fan," Sam replied. "Any kind of athlete—he respected them. I mean, look at all the old stuff he's got—a cricket mallet, golf clubs, a Kendo sword, archery equipment."

Angela took a box from a cupboard and opened it. "Hey, guys, look at this." She set down the box on a table and took out one of the many letters.

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, and Angela were sitting at a table reading the letters.

"They're all the same," Sam commented. "Dearest Betsy…" he read. "Blah, blah, blah. Who's Betsy?"

"I don't know." Angela sighed. "Girlfriend? Eleanor didn't mention a Betsy."

"This one looks old," Sam noted. "Uh, 'Dearest Betsy, the third day of training camp. Roadwork improving. Working on my left jab. They say this Sugar Ray is gonna be tough'."

"Sugar Ray? As in Robinson?" Dean frowned. "Didn't he box in, like, the '40s? Is it signed the same?"

"Yeah. 'Love, me'." Sam replied.

"Here. 'Dearest Betsy, on the road again. So hard to be away from you, honey. Will give the Red Sox hell and get back to you'." Angela read.

"Dearest Betsy…" Sam trailed off.

"Dearest Betsy, Le Mans will be a bitch this year with all the rain…" Dean read.

"The Phillies are tough, but we're looking to be tougher…"

"Them Dodgers will wish they never left Brooklyn…"

"Looking for my best gal Friday night at the Garden…" Angela read.

"Our o-line hung tough. I had all day back there…" Dean recited.

"Alain Prost is a monster in the straightaway…"

"Dearest Betsy…" the hunters read simultaneously.

"Love, me." Dean read.

Sam frowned. "Wait, this one looks recent," Sam noted. "Dearest Betsy…So tired of it all."

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were using the laptop at the table. Dean was reading from a clipboard while sitting on a chair pulled up to one of the beds, which was covered with papers and files.

"Hey. We pulled up the names on those trophies." Angela told Dean. "Check it out."

Dean moved his chair over to sit next to Sam.

"Alright, Brick Holmes—football player." Sam brought up photos on the laptop. "Charlie Karnes—race-car driver. Davey Samuelson—baseball player. Kelly Duran—boxer. Four different guys, right?"

"Okay." Dean nodded.

"Check this out," Sam arranged the photos so that headshots of the four athletes appeared on the page.

"Same dark eyes, same cheekbones, nose, mouth…" Angela explained.

Dean frowned. "Wait, are you saying that these four guys who all look to be in their mid-20s and go back 70 years could be the same guy?" he questioned. "Wow. For a 95-year-old, Brick Holmes could take a hit."

~/~\~

"So, if all those athletes were the same guy, how'd he pull it off? Appear, then go away and come back with a new look?" Sam theorized.

"Cacao, the, uh, the—the Maize God—was Mayan, right?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Sam and Angela replied simultaneously.

"The Maya were all about war and torture and conquests…and sports. It says, 'Their athletes were treated like kings'. They Mayan jocks made sacrifices to Cacao by—ready for this?" Dean raised his brows. "Killing a victim, pulling out his heart, and eating it. They believed the rituals gave them super-charged power over their opponents."

"Yeah, but they didn't stay young forever." Angela countered. "So, what? Maybe Brick just made some kind of deal with this Cacao?"

"Well, we've seen it before," Dean shrugged. "People making deals with demons, gods. I mean, maybe he stayed young and strong so long as the sacrifices kept coming. Remember all that antique sports equipment he had? This guy could go back to the Mayan days."

"Wow. So, one of the greatest QBs to ever play the game was over 900-years-old." Sam noted.

"Well, that explains Brick, but what about the people carrying his spare parts?" Angela asked.

"Maybe the spell went along for the ride and infected the people who got his organs," Sam suggested. "Remember how Paul Hayes said he had a health scare that changed his life? I mean, maybe the spell could compel him to keep carrying out the ritual."

"Sort of like getting bit by a werewolf." Dean nodded. "I mean, once you're infected, you do what you got to do, _especially_ if you like the results."

"Right, except old Arthur, the dedicated cop, couldn't handle it and went nuts," Sam explained. He sighed heavily. "Brick Holmes, a heart eater. Who knew?"

"Mm, I'm sorry, baby." Angela comforted, squeezing Sam's hand gently.

"Yeah, the mighty—they fall hard, huh?" Dean muttered.

Sam read something on the laptop. "Well, at least he wasn't sleeping with his mother…"

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, good, Sam. Find the silver lining."

Angela read over what Sam was looking at. "Dean, seriously. Look."

Dean moved over to look at the laptop. "Fighter Kelly Duran is congratulated on a second-round knockout by wife Betsy." He read. "Dearest Betsy."

~/~\~

Mrs. Holmes opened the door, only to see Sam, Dean, and Angela standing on the doorstep.

"Hello, Eleanor." Angela greeted.

"Or would you rather us call you Betsy?" Dean asked, raising a brow.

~/~\~

"Look, Eleanor, innocent people are dying," Sam stressed as the three hunters sat down across from Eleanor. "And they're gonna continue to die until we stop it."

"Did you know about the murders over the past year?" Angela asked curiously.

"No. I didn't. I swear." Eleanor assured. "I thought when—Brick died, it would be over."

"Help us." Dean pleaded. "Betsy, this is not what you want Brick's legacy to be."

Eleanor sighed. "His Mayan name was Inyo. He was a proud young athlete nearly 1,000 years ago. He lived for sport and never wanted his days in the sun to end. So, he arranged a bargain with the god Cacao through a high priest."

"Stay young forever." Angela nodded.

"As long as the sacrifices continued, twice a year—once for the planting, once for the harvest," Eleanor explained.

"When did you find out about this?" Sam inquired.

"Not until I began to age and—and Brick—Kelly, as he was when I met him—did not," Eleanor replied. "But by that time, Brick himself had changed…inside. He wasn't just the warrior whose only reason for living was combat. He—we were deeply, deeply in love. So in love, I'm ashamed to say that when I found out that—how my husband stayed young and strong, I chose to ignore it."

"You and Brick had to go underground from time to time to hide your secret, right?" Sam asked.

Eleanor nodded. "Every ten years or so, he would, uh, re-emerge with a new look, a new name. And me, I was the wife, and I was the woman in hiding, and then, when I got into my forties, I became Brick's mother. Eleanor." She explained. "I am so tired. You can't imagine the burden of it all. I think even Brick was through. He could see the end of my days were at hand, and…he had lived centuries all alone, but I don't think he could bear the thought of life without me. That's why he drove off that bridge. You must think I'm a monster."

"No," Angela replied gently. "No, just that you were married to one."

Dean sighed. "Well, see, here's the deal. Now there are eight killers out there that we have to deal with, not just one."

"I don't think so," Eleanor admitted.

Sam's brows furrowed. "What? Why not?"

"Brick used to say the heart was key. That was the focus of the sacrifice." Eleanor replied.

"Are you saying that if we stop Brick's beating heart, then we could stop the whole thing?" Angela questioned.

Eleanor nodded.

"Do you know where the person is who has the heart?" Sam asked. "Do you know?"

~/~\~

The Impala pulled up to _The Bunny Hole Strip Club._ Dean parked across the street from the club.

"Really?" Dean raised his brows. "Our king daddy monster is a stripper?"

"We're pretty sure this is gonna work, right?" Angela asked skeptically.

"Well, as long as Eleanor knows what she's talking about," Dean replied, taking a large knife from his bag and handing it to Sam.

Sam sighed. "You think Brick thought maybe he'd burn to nothing when he crashed that car?"

"Yeah, but he didn't, which brings us here." Dean retorted.

The three hunters got out of the Impala and walked towards the club. They rounded a corner and stood in front of the rear door. Dean quickly picked the lock and opened the door.

~/~\~

Using flashlights, Dean, Sam, and Angela walked upstairs and looked around the club's locker room. Dean inhaled deeply.

"Smell that?" he asked with a smile.

Angela rolled her eyes. "You're disgusting."

The three hunters walked up more stairs to the main room of the club. The lights flashed on and Randa walked out onto the stage.

"Eleanor sent you, right?" she asked. "I figured she'd probably break and give me up. This won't end well for her, of course. Not that it's gonna end well for you."

Sam took out the knife and stood in front of Angela protectively.

"Oh, now, you don't think we're gonna let you do that, do you?" Randa cooed.

Dean frowned. "We?"

Randa raised her eyebrows as two men attacked Sam, Dean, and Angela from either side. Paul punched Dean into another man, Jimmy.

"I'm the guy from Phoenix you were looking for." Jimmy glared.

Jimmy threw Dean onto the stage at Randa's feet. Jimmy and Paul held down Dean's arms.

"Oh," Dean groaned. "You guys are stronger than you look."

"Comes with the package," Paul replied. "Plus, I work out a lot.

"You can't imagine who I was before," Randa smirked. "This shy, awkward little thing from Georgia with a heart condition. Then I had the surgery." She put a high-heeled foot on Dean's chest, pressing slightly. "I became freaking _Xena, Warrior Princess."_ She added as she straddled Dean. "I couldn't dissect a frog in high school. But sacrificing to Cacao? Better than sex. So, if I go real slow," she ran her finger over Dean's chest. "And take my time and enjoy this, I can actually show you your own beating heart before you die."

Randa pressed the fingers of one hand hard into Dean's chest, breaking the skin. Dean started to scream in pain.

Suddenly, Sam smashed a bottle over Paul's head. As Sam and Paul grappled, Angela managed to sneak up behind Randa unnoticed. Angela plunged the knife into Randa's stomach. Her eyes and body around the knife wound burned with red light. Jimmy let go of Dean and stepped back. Angela immediately ran to stand next to Sam and Paul, who were staring at Randa, who stood up before bursting into flames. Suddenly, both Jimmy and Paul fell to the ground, dead.

"Pretty badass, Angie." Dean gasped.

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, and Angela were standing in Eleanor's kitchen. Sam had an arm wrapped around Angela's waist.

"Well, we better get going, uh…We just wanted you to know that it really is over now," Dean assured.

Eleanor sighed. "Well, it had to be, one way or the other. I half thought you might fail and Randa would come after me. Either way, I'd finally be at peace."

"Take care of yourself, Eleanor," Angela replied gently.

~/~\~

Angela sat in the front seat of the Impala in between the brothers. She was fast asleep, her head resting on Sam's shoulder. Sam ran a hand through her hair gently.

"Wow. Back in business. Got the win." Dean smiled. "Admit it—feels good, huh? You know, I was thinking about what Randa said about, uh, you know, what it feels like to be a warrior. I get it, man, I do."

"I know. I know you do." Sam replied. "I don't. Not anymore. Hell, maybe I never did."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Come on, Sam, don't ruin my buzz, would you?"

"Dean, listen, when this is over—when we close up shop on Kevin and the tablet—Angie and I are done. I mean that." Sam explained.

"No, you don't." Dean shook his head.

"Dean, I had something I've never had," Sam stressed. "A normal life with the woman I love, I mean, Angie and I both got to see what that felt like. I want that. I had that."

"I think that's just how you feel right now." Dean countered.

Sam sighed and turned his head to look out the window as Dean continued to drive.

~/~\~

_"Angie! Angie, this isn't funny!" Sam called as he stopped in the middle of the bridge and looked around frantically. "Angie!" he called as the dog ran off. Sam's frown deepened. "Riot? Riot!"_

_Sam ran after Riot and found him sitting on a picnic blanket with Angela. She was wearing a pale blue sundress, and her baby bump was barely noticeable._

_Angela raised her arms and grinned. "Happy belated birthday, Sammy!"_

_Sam stopped, a smile forming on his lips. "You and I agreed not to do big celebrations for our birthday."_

_"Yeah, well, we've never had an opportunity to properly celebrate." Angela countered. "Better late than never, right?" she smiled, her eyes bright with happiness. "Come here and eat, will you?"_

_Sam's smile grew and he sat next to Angela and leaned down to kiss her softly. He pulled away and rested his forehead on hers. "Happy belated birthday, baby. And for the love of God, don't just disappear like that again."_

_"Deal," Angela replied, pressing her lips to his._

~/~\~

Sam looked down at Angela, who was still sleeping. He smiled softly at the memory, then glanced at Dean, his smile disappearing.


	7. Bitten Part 1

_What's the Matter_ by Milo Greene played throughout the house. Blood was splattered over the walls and furnishings. A body with a badly wounded leg was on the ground and another body was covered with a sheet. Sam, Dean, and Angela walked into the room, guns drawn.

Sam and Angela checked the body under the sheet while Dean went upstairs. Dean removed an iPod from its docking station, stopping the music.

"Rest of the place is clear," Dean commented.

"Yeah. Uh…no ID on this one." Angela replied. "Um…and no clue who is painted on the walls." She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Dean sighed. "Well, whatever happened, looks like we missed it."

"Yeah. Great." Sam muttered. "Wait a second." He pointed to a half-opened laptop with a post-it that said _'Play Me'_ stuck to the lid.

Dean's brows furrowed. "What the hell?"

Dean fully opened the lid of the laptop, and the three hunters sat down in front of it. Dean clicked on an icon that said, _'Play Me'_. An application opened and _'This should never have ended this way'_ appeared on the screen.

~/~\~

"Hey, Christopher Nolan," Michael called out.

"Yeah?" Brian asked.

"Lens cap." Michael reminded.

"Oh…crap. Damn." Brian muttered, taking the lens cap off. He pointed the camera back at Michael.

"Strong work, genius." Michael teased.

"Dude," Brian sighed. "I have no idea what to make this movie about. And I'm, like—I'm A/V Club President, so, you know, it's got to be good."

"Here. Give me that." Michael instructed. He took the camera and pointed it at Brian. "I'll tell you what…"

Brian raised his brows. "You're gonna make it?"

"You're gonna make it about." Michael finished.

"Okay."

Michael pointed the camera at himself. "In a world where nothing is what it seems…one brave, shockingly handsome, virile young man," he said before turning the camera at Brian. "And his faithful, learning-disabled…"

"Oh, no." Brian rolled his eyes.

"Robotic manservant must battle through waves of cybernetic asshats in order to sexually liberate the women of—

"Okay." Brian smiled. "Give me that. Give me that."

"Oh, please," Michael smirked. "I bet at least one of these girls would let you partake in their awkward-guy experimental phase?"

"What? These girls?"

"Yep." Michael grinned.

"Okay," Brian zoomed the camera in on the female students nearby. "Hashtag fails." He moved the focus from one girl to another. "Homeschooled. Secretly in love with her roommate. Listens to country music. Oh, dude, dude. 12:00, blonde. Wait." He muttered as Kate got up. "Is she—oh, crap, crap. Dude, take it, take it. Just take it!"

"I don't want to take it," Michael muttered.

Kate walked over to Brian and Michael. Michael was holding the camera.

"Were you just filming me?" Kate questioned.

"No. Uh, I wouldn't do that." Michael replied, slightly embarrassed.

Kate was holding another camera, filming Michael. "Does it have the new firmware?"

"Uh, yes. Yes, it does."

"How's it handle?" Kate asked.

Michael and Kate exchanged cameras.

"You tell me," Michael smirked.

"Well, your settings are way off," Kate explained.

"Oh, I-I like the colors—you probably don't care about that." Brian cut in.

"Yeah, so, you weren't checking me out?" Kate asked Michael.

"Well, I do have a thing for beautiful women who respect their privacy." Michael flirted. "Uh, dick move on my part. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Kate smiled. "I have a thing for guys with cool cameras."

~/~\~

Brian was sitting at a desk in front of several computers. Giggling could be heard behind closed doors in another room. Kate, wearing only a t-shirt, entered and walked through to the bathroom.

~/~\~

"No, no, no," Kate started. "Look, it's a great movie, but of the two, I-I prefer _Last Year at Marienbad_. You know?"

"Yeah. It's a classic." Brian agreed.

"How do you like that lens?" Kate nodded at his camera.

"It's good." Brian nodded. "Yeah, yeah. It's lighter for sure."

"That's good."

"You know, uh, Michael knows nothing about cameras, right?" Brian asked.

"Yeah," Kate smiled. "But, uh, I'm teaching him."

Michael walked up to the table carrying coffee. "Teaching who?"

"Oh, my boyfriend," Kate replied as Michael sat down next to her. "He's, uh, big, tall, and handsome."

"Mm. Sounds delish." Michael smirked.

"Yeah, you should totally meet him." Kate teased.

"Yeah?" Michael raised his brows.

"Mm-hmm." Kate hummed before kissing Michael.

~/~\~

Brian was sitting at the desk.

"Let's see. Five years from now?" Kate pondered. "Hopefully passed the bar exam. Nothing corporate, something, uh…something green, you know?"

"Green is good," Brian replied.

"Hippie." Michael teased.

"Oh, shut up." Kate laughed. "What about you, Brian?"

"Oh, geez. Uh, maybe, like, working for HBO or—or, like, Michael Moore. That'd be cool."

"Yeah." Kate agreed.

"Double hippie." Michael teased.

"Whatever." Brian rolled his eyes.

"I will be on a boat in the middle of the ocean with my beautiful girl by my side." Michael grinned.

"Aww…sap." Kate cooed.

"And you can come, too." Michael joked.

"Nice." Kate laughed. "See what you just did there?" she asked, pulling him into a kiss.

~/~\~

"…display of that, let's make sure we put our hand up first next time." The professor lectured.

Michael appeared to be asleep in the audience. Kate, who was sitting in the row behind him, fondled Michael's hair.

"Alright, brains, let's get our pens and pencils out. It's time for notes. So, let's turn our attention to our cruelly nicknamed friend Piggy. He uses his glasses to create fire, the sundial. He's also rational. He inhabits rational thought on the island."

~/~\~

"What'd I miss?" Michael asked as they walked outside.

"Just another pitch-perfect lecture from Professor Ludensky." Kate chuckled.

"Yeah." Brian agreed.

"Do you know Simon was a Christ figure?" Kate asked.

"Yeah. No." Michael replied. "Please tell me you taped it." He looked at Brian.

"Come on. Who loves you?" Brian replied.

"Aww. I wish I could quit you." Michael ruffled Brian's hair.

"Yeah, right. Yeah." Brian smiled.

Another student, Scott, walked between them and knocked the camera to the ground.

"Oh, hey." Kate frowned.

"Watch it, asshat!" Michael snapped.

"What'd you call me?" Scott glared.

"Come on. Let's move. I want to see it." Scott's friend muttered.

"Oh, man…" Brian commented.

Kate, Michael, and Brian noticed the crime scene as they walked. Police sirens could be heard.

"Hey, can you shoot some of this for my movie?" Brian asked.

Kate's brows furrowed. "Is that legal?"

"Who cares?" Michael cut in.

A body covered with a bloodstained sheet lied behind a police line. The Impala pulled up.

"Yeah, that's not good," Brian commented.

"Someone got murdered on campus?" Kate asked. "You guys live like two blocks from here."

Sam, Dean, and Angela, dressed in their FBI apparel, got out of the Impala.

"Special Agent Rose and this is Special Agent Hudson and Special Agent Franklin," Sam introduced as they flashed their badges.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" the detective asked skeptically.

"Our jobs." Dean retorted.

"You want to tell us what's going on?" Angela asked, brows raised.

"Whatever you say." The detective muttered. "Got a call from a woman that lives upstairs. Said, uh, she heard an attack, came down, found her neighbor here. Jacob Carter."

"Who'd he say?" Brian frowned.

"Uh, Jacob Carter? I don't know." Kate replied.

"Well, is the witness still home?" Angela questioned the detective.

"Sure is." The detective nodded. "She's not the most reliable type. She said she heard some kind of growl, like there was a coyote down here."

"Awesome," Dean muttered sarcastically.

~/~\~

"So, the FBI is here. Your neighbor got murdered, but you're totally cool." Kate commented.

"No. It's not—it's not that I'm cool." Brian replied. "It's just that, like…" he came out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in his mouth. "I mean, then it's good that the FBI are here, right?"

"That—that is so annoyingly logical." Kate retorted.

"Hey, baby. Listen." Michael cut in. He put an iPod into a docking station. _What's the Matter_ by Milo Greene started to play.

"Oh. It's pretty." Kate replied. "What is it?"

"It's the song that was playing when we first met." Michael smiled.

"Aww. You are so disgustingly sweet." Kate grinned, pulling him into a kiss.

"You ready?" Brian interjected.

"Yeah." Michael nodded.

"Cool." Brian left the room.

"I got to go." Michael sighed.

"What?" Kate frowned. "So, you just foam the runway with our song and then you got to head out the door?"

"I promised I'd help him test the new cameras," Michael explained.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that crap. I know you two idiots are gonna go shoot cut scenes for _Jackass."_

"Come on." Michael sighed. "We both know he has nobody else to do this with. Rain check."

"Whatever. You're dead to me." Kate joked.

~/~\~

Michael and Brian were filming near a sports field.

"Do something cool," Michael instructed.

"Dude, this tree is awesome. Hang on." Brian climbed up into the tree. "Maybe I could—maybe I could…get upside down and—

"No, no, I said cool." Michael interrupted.

"Ha, ha."

"This is stupid," Michael added.

"Can you get—can you see me? Gonna try and get—is this cool?" Brian hung upside down. "'Cause, man, it feels pretty cool."

"It's like _Dumb & Dumber 3,"_ Michael replied. "Okay."

"Wait, dude, dude, dude, dude." Brian's eyes widened.

Sam, Dean, and Angela, in their FBI apparel, were interviewing a couple on the street nearby.

"What?" Michael frowned.

"Turn around! Turn around!"

"What?" Michael stressed.

"Turn. It's those FBI agents."

"What?"

"Help—help me down this tree. Help me out of the tree." Brian replied.

"Oh, alright." Sam nodded. "Well, thank you, guys, very much for your help. You're free to go."

"Alright. There is not a case here." Angela noted as the couple left.

"There _is_ a case here," Dean argued. "You two are rusty. We just got to dig a little deeper. Come on."

Dean walked towards the Impala. Sam rested a hand on the small of Angela's back as they followed Dean.

"Dude, it's so crazy," Brian muttered.

"Is it just me or are you getting a workplace romance vibe from the girl and the really tall guy?" Michael asked.

"Let's go," Brian replied.

"Yeah." Michael agreed.

Michael and Brian walked along the outside of the sports field. Two people were kissing near the bleachers.

"Come here, come here. Look, look, look." Michael whispered.

"What?" Brian whispered. He finally noticed the people kissing. "Oh, no. Yes." He laughed.

"D-bags mating in the wild," Michael commented.

"Okay, go, go, go, go," Brian whispered.

"Yeah."

The two boys moved closer as they kept filming. The girl whom Scott was kissing pushed his arms away.

"Oh! Stop. Stop!" she shoved him away.

"Hey!" Scott yelled.

"Oh, ho, ho. Strike three." Brian smirked.

"Come on!" Scott yelled.

"You're a dick," Brian muttered.

"What's your problem?!"

"This is gonna look great on YouTube." Brian laughed before he accidentally dropped the camera. "Oh. Oh, crap."

"Oh, crap." Michael's eyes widened.

"Hey!" Scott yelled. "What the hell?!"

"Oh, crap, crap. Oh, God." Brian ran as Scott chased after him.

"Hey, Brian, Brian! Meet me at Scott's mother's house!" Michael laughed. "Oh, God." He added as Scott started to chase him instead.

"Oh, come on." Scott groaned. "I paid her fair and square, man!"

Michael ran down a dark path. He turned his camera on himself, breathing heavily. "Thanks for a great night out, Bri."

Michael frowned as he heard a growling noise nearby.

"Hello? Hello? Scott, cut it out, man!" Michael exclaimed as he heard more growling. "Oh, God. Oh, God." He screamed and climbed a nearby tree.

"Hey, Michael." Brian looked around. "You can come out now, dude. Scott looked for us for a while, but bailed." He explained. Brian frowned when he saw Michael's camera on the ground. "Mike?" he heard heavy breathing nearby. "Mike?" Brian called out. His eyes widened when he found Michael lying on the ground. "Dude. Oh, my God. Dude. Michael. You okay, man?"

"I'm okay," Michael replied.

Brian's brows furrowed. "What happened?"

"I don't know. I don't know." Michael muttered.

Brian noticed Michael's shoulder wound and his eyes widened. "Oh, God."

~/~\~

"Kate!" Brian yelled as they stumbled into the room. Brian helped Michael onto the sofa.

"Oh, my God!" Kate screamed. "Baby, baby, baby!"

"Something bit Michael."

"Oh, baby. Okay." Kate whispered.

"Oh, my God."

"What is it? Is it bad?" Michael asked frantically. "Brian. Kate. Is it bad?"

"The bite—the bite's gone." Brian frowned deeply.

Kate took out her phone and dialed.

"911. What's your emergency?" a woman asked.

"Did—did you dicks just punk me?" Kate glared.

"Is anybody there? Hello?"

Kate hung up and put the phone in her pocket.

"It's completely gone," Brian noted.

"Baby, it's okay. Hey, hey, hey. Honey, it's okay." Kate whispered. "It's okay. Babe."

~/~\~

Brian and Kate were sitting at the table.

"The doctor said he's gonna be fine," Brian whispered. "You heard him. Literally not a scratch on the kid."

"If anything happens to Michael, I-I don't know what I would do." Kate whimpered.

"Shh. It's okay." Brian comforted.

Michael woke up and rubbed his eyes. Brian and Kate immediately put their heads down on the table and pretended to be asleep. Michael walked through the room to the bathroom and pulled the door off its hinges. Brian and Kate jumped.

"What?" Kate asked. "Baby."

"Uh…" Michael trailed off.

"Did you just pull that off?" Brian questioned.

"Whoa. Whoa."

Brian filmed Michael holding Kate over his head and laughing.

"Okay. Okay, okay. Now—now one-handed." Brian grinned.

Michael removed one hand from Kate and was still easily holding her above him. Kate giggled and shrieked.

"Oh, my God!" Brian exclaimed.

"Stay still, stay still, stay still," Michael instructed.

"Dude, whoa!"

Michael dropped Kate into his arms, kissing her deeply.

~/~\~

Brian was using a computer.

"Maybe you got bit by an alien." Kate theorized. "That would explain the FBI."

"Or maybe a mutant bit you," Brian added.

"Am I a superhero now?" Michael asked.

"Baby." Kate giggled.

~/~\~

Brian was setting up equipment in various places in the house. Kate walked into the room, her brows furrowed.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" Brian retorted. "I finally found my movie."

"What? Michael?" Kate raised her brows. "Michael is not your movie! We don't even know what happened to him."

"Exactly. I'm gonna get Michael's origin story on-camera."

~/~\~

Michael was sitting at the kitchen table putting peanut butter on a bagel. "You're kind of creeping me out, man. Seriously, nothing superheroic to see here. Just a delicious bagel."

Brian paused for a few moments. "Hey, man, I have this idea. It's gonna sound really weird, but don't laugh, okay?"

"No promises," Michael replied.

Brian shifted nervously. "I, um…I really want to be able to do what you do. So, I-I think maybe we could go back out there and get that thing to bite me, and then we could both be superheroes."

"Stop!" Michael snapped. "What? Are you serious?!"

"Michael, you can't keep this to yourself," Brian argued.

"Keep what to myself?" Michael scoffed. "We don't even know what this thing is. Why the hell would you want it?"

"Michael…I don't—I don't want to be Piggy anymore, man," Brian muttered.

Michael sighed. "You're—you're not a pig, man. Brian, listen to me. There's nothing wrong with you." He assured. "You've just got to figure out what you want and go after it. I'm telling you—you don't want this."

Brian scoffed. "Right, 'cause I don't want to be super-strong or have any prayer of getting any ass this year or…Please, please."

"No, man! No." Michael replied angrily.

~/~\~

Brian was using the computer at the desk when suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Michael and Kate were on the sofa.

"Not it." The couple said simultaneously.

Brian rolled his eyes. "Children." He muttered as he walked to the front door. He looked through the peephole. "Dudes, dudes, dudes. It's the FBI."

Michael's eyes widened. "What?"

"It's the FBI!"

"No. What? Oh." Michael replied as he picked up a bong and started to put it behind the sofa.

"Baby, what are you doing?" Kate hissed.

Michael ran out of the room with the bong. Kate picked up the camera as Brian opened the door. Sam, Dean, and Angela held up their badges.

"Hi, there." Sam greeted.

"Hi," Brian replied.

"Special Agents Rose, Hudson, and Franklin." Sam introduced. "We wanted to ask you a few questions about the murder that occurred a few blocks from here."

"First off, did you know the victim, Jacob Carter?" Angela questioned.

"Um, no, not really." Brian shrugged.

"Do you remember anything unusual about that night?" Dean asked.

"Not that I recall," Brian answered.

"Right." Sam nodded. "Well, uh, heard about anyone in the neighborhood getting, uh—getting bit? Humor me."

Brian shook his head. "No, I-I don't think so."

"Alright. Well, no worries, hon." Angela smiled softly. "How about this? If you hear anything strange…call us." She handed Brian a card. "No matter how late. Thanks."

"Thank you," Brian replied before closing the door.

"So, what do you think?" Dean asked.

Sam sighed. "Well, based on what we've got so far, we could be dealing with another Mayan god," Sam replied.

"Ah, that's fantastic, 'cause the other one was such a joy." Dean sassed.

"Yeah." Angela sighed. "Campus dormitories?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked down the porch stairs and towards the Impala.

~/~\~

Michael came back into the main room carrying the bong.

"The FBI are looking for what bit you," Brian noted. "Are you an _X-file?"_

"No," Kate replied. "He's not an _X-file._ Listen." She played back the film she took of Sam, Dean, and Angela.

 _"So far, we could be dealing with another Mayan god…"_ Sam's voice rang through.

"I'm a golden god." Michael grinned. "I am a golden god! Ha, ha, whoo!"

Kate shook her head. "You guys are ridiculous."

~/~\~

Kate was asleep in bed. Michael got up and went into the bathroom. He filmed himself looking at his reflection in the mirror.

"I am a golden god. I am a god." He muttered.

Michael's irises and pupils enlarged then went back to normal.

"Huh?" he frowned.

Michael groaned as he developed long canine teeth. He groaned again as his fingernails lengthened into claws. He growled and punched the mirror violently.

~/~\~

Brian and Kate were sitting on the sofa. Brian was filming.

"Can I ask you something about him?" Brian asked. "With everything that's happened, are you afraid of him?"

"At first, yeah, I mean, it was pretty scary." She admitted. "But…then, to be totally honest, it's actually been pretty hot."

"O…M…"

Kate screamed as Michael appeared in the room. His face and chest were covered with blood.

~/~\~

Michael was in the shower trying to get the blood off.

"Baby?" Kate asked gently. "Just…Can you tell us what happened?"

"I, uh—I ran into Scott," Michael replied. "He chased me, and I think I killed him."

"What?" Kate gasped. "Turn it off. Off!" she told Brian.

~/~\~

Michael was sitting on a chair in the main room with a towel around his neck. Kate paced the room while Brian filmed.

"He started talking about you, and I saw red," Michael explained quietly. "The next thing I remember, I was running home."

"On the video…what were those things on your hands? Claws?" Brian asked.

"Did anybody see you?" Kate cut in.

"Kate, you're not…"

"No," Michael told Kate.

"…trying to justify—

"We don't know what happened, Brian!" Kate snapped. "What? He can't defend himself?" she grabbed the camera. "Give me that."

~/~\~

Kate ran past the Impala and several police cars, which were parked outside a police line in the park.

"Hey, whoa, whoa. Take it easy." An officer demanded.

Kate filmed Sam, Dean, and Angela, who were behind the police line in the FBI clothing.

"Figured I'd see you guys again." The detective sighed.

"Well, if you did your jobs right, we wouldn't be here, would we?" Dean remarked.

"Easy." Angela cut in. "Uh, so, what do you got?"

"Vic's name was Scott Parker." The detective motioned towards the body. "Looks like the same thing that killed the Carter kid got Mr. Parker here."

Sam's brows raised. "Wait. Same thing?"

"Look, I-I'm only the local yokel, but this kid was shredded by an animal."

"Where's his heart?" Dean questioned.

"Patrolman found it up the way there. Eaten mostly."

"Show us," Dean demanded.

~/~\~

Brian stormed back into the house, Kate on his heels.

"Brian, wait!" Kate pleaded.

Michael was asleep on the sofa. Brian shook him awake.

"Did you eat a human heart?" Brian glared as Michael sat up. "Did you?!"

"What are you talking about?" Michael stood up. "What is he talking about?"

Brian grabbed Michael's arm. "Scott's dead! He was shredded, and his heart's gone."

"That doesn't mean that Michael—

"What do you think happened to it?" Brian asked Kate. "Where's his heart, Michael?"

"I don't remember what happened!" Michael defended.

Brian shoved Michael. "Don't lie to me!"

"Hey, Brian, calm down!" Kate exclaimed. "Look, I mean, there's got to be an explanation for this."

"Really?" Brian scoffed.

"It was…self-defense." Kate shrugged.

"Eating a heart is self-defense?" Brian asked. "Kate, who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself?"

Michael pushed Brian away from Kate. "You need to back off."

"Why? You gonna eat my heart, too?" Brian challenged.

Michael punched Brian, who sailed through the air and landed on the kitchen table.

"Michael!" Kate screamed.

~/~\~

Michael was lying on the bed with his head in Kate's lap.

"I don't know what's happening to me." He cried. "I don't know who I am anymore."

"You're Michael Wheeler," Kate whispered. "And you're mine, okay? You hear me?"

~/~\~

Brian and Kate were in the main room while Michael slept.

"We have to call the police," Brian stressed.

"Brian." Kate sighed.

"Kaye, how—how can you?" Brian asked. "You have to see what's really going on here. Whatever he is, it's not good—it's not good for you."

"Michael didn't mean to hurt you," Kate assured.

Brian scoffed. "Obviously, he did, Kate."

"You just don't get it, do you?" Kate snapped.

"What? What don't I understand?"

"You've never been in love," Kate replied as Brian put down the camera. "What we need are answers."

~/~\~

Kate was filming Dean talking to the coroner outside of the police station.

"I can't hear them." Kate sighed.

"Seriously, Kate, what are we doing?" Michael asked.

Kate raised her brows. "What are we doing? Seriously?"

"Wait." He hissed. "Kate, don't."

"Cut marks on both vics are clean but have the curvature of animal claws." The coroner explained. "I don't know. I mean, maybe there's a wild animal on the loose? Biggest animal in the county is a raccoon."

"Hmm." Dean nodded. "Thank you for your time."

"You bet."

"Appreciate it. Okay." Dean nodded.

Sam and Angela walked up to Dean.

"Hey." The couple greeted simultaneously.

"Hey," Dean replied.

"No, no." Michael hissed as Kate moved to get closer.

"So, what did we miss? Anything?" Angela asked.

Dean sighed. "Not unless you want to put an APB out on Rocky Raccoon."

"Great." Sam scoffed. "Um, the local police files are not online, so we had to dig through the county records. Um, 10 years ago, there was a similar murder. Check it out." He handed Dean a file.

"Death by claws and, uh, lack of heart? So, we're talking a—

"No." Angela interrupted. "Not that time of the month."

"Awesome," Dean replied sarcastically.

"Yeah."

"Time to hit the books and feed the monster." Dean clapped a hand to his stomach.

Kate pointed the camera at Michael. "They know something. We got to follow them." She stressed. "Michael. Come on. Michael! Geez."

There was a rustling as Brian stepped out from some trees.

"How'd you find us?" Michael questioned.

"GPS in your phones. Duh." Brian shrugged.

"You know, you're starting to creep me out, man," Michael noted.

"The feeling's mutual, dude." Brian retorted.

"What else can you hack into, Brian?" Kate cut in.

"Anything." He shrugged.

~/~\~

Brian, Michael, and Kate were looking at security footage of the three hunters on their laptop.

"Test, test. Can you hear me?" Kate asked.

"Copy that." Brian nodded. "Yeah, the feed is looping to my laptop right now. Head in, make sure you're within spitting distance, and we should be in business. Um, and don't get arrested."

"I'll do it." Michael volunteered.

"You sure?" Kate asked.

"Yeah. Give me the bag."

~/~\~

Michael sat down at a table near the three hunters. "We good?"

 _"Uh…a little left."_ Brian's voice rang through Michael's earpiece.

Michael adjusted the camera that was filming Sam, Dean, and Angela. "How's that?"

A waitress brought Dean a plate with two burgers, a burger for Angela, and a salad for Sam.

 _"Awesome. Thank you."_ Dean grinned.

 _"Thanks."_ Angela smiled at the waitress.

 _"Dude, two burgers?"_ Sam scoffed. _"Angie's the one who's pregnant."_

Angela glared playfully up at Sam. _"Hey."_

 _"Hey, I didn't eat at Big P's for months, okay?"_ Dean defended. _"Clear eyes and clogged arteries—can't lose."_

Sam shook his head as he read from a journal.

 _"Hey, check this out. 'Werewolves that are turned up to four generations from pureblood…' Think he means Alpha?"_ Dean asked. _"'…are less feral and can transform before, during, and after the lunar cycle.' Boom!"_

Angela reached for the journal. _"Let me see that."_ She replied. _"Purebloods don't blackout during the transformation. They can control themselves. Some have been able to subsist off of animal hearts."_

Sam's brows furrowed. _"So—so, what? We're hunting a-a werewolf with a pedigree?"_

 _"Awesome,"_ Dean muttered. _"Let's hope he has his papers."_

 _"Yeah, and that silver can kill him,"_ Angela replied. _"So…what? Best in show comes here 10 years ago, ganked some poor woman. Then when the dust settles and everything's in the clear, he just sets up shop?"_

 _"Yeah, come for the human hearts, stay for the co-eds."_ Dean nodded.

 _"Right."_ Sam sighed. _"And then everything's wine and roses—and animal tickers—until he gets the hankering for human again."_

~/~\~

Michael, Brian, and Kate were watching the footage of Sam, Dean, and Angela from the restaurant.

 _"Told you there was a case here. Now we just got to find it and kill it."_ Dean's voice rang through.

"I'm a werewolf. A werewolf." Michael frowned.

"Michael, come on," Kate said gently. "Baby, you need to calm down."

"Calm down?! I'm a werewolf!"

"Hey, we need to find—

"The FBI is trying to kill me!" Michael snapped.

"Shut up! Everybody, shut up, okay?" Kate cut in. "First things first, those three—they aren't FBI, alright? I'm pretty sure that FBI agents don't say 'awesome' that much. You know? And—and they definitely don't hunt and kill college kids. Plus, that lady is way too pregnant to still be doing field work."

"Did—did they say anything else?" Michaels sighed.

"Dude, they just sat and talked about how they have been apart for months," Brian replied.

"I'm screwed. I'm screwed." Michael shook his head.

"Kate, come on. What are we supposed to do?" Brian asked.

"Okay, you know what? You guys are missing the big picture, okay?" she replied. "They—they don't know about you, Michael. They're looking for whoever, whatever bit you in the first place, the pureblood. That…that gives us some time…to figure it out, you know?"

Michael clenched his jaw. "So, what's the plan? What, eat chicken hearts for the rest of my life?"

Michael angrily went into the bedroom. Kate followed him, leaving Brian alone.

"Michael. Baby."

Kate and Michael were talking in the bedroom while Brian watched footage from the night of Michael's attack. He replayed part of it and printed a screen capture.

"Hey, guys!" he called out. "I think I found something."

Kate pulled the bedroom door closed. Brian grabbed his keys and left.

~/~\~

Brian searched with a flashlight. He spotted a pin on the ground and set the print of the screen capture down next to it. The pin matched the one that the professor wore on his jacket in the picture.

~/~\~

Brian opened a cupboard high on a wall in the professor's office. He filmed the items on the desk as the professor came into the room.

"A little early for office hours, Brian." He commented. "What can I help you with?"

"I know what you are," Brian replied.


	8. Bitten Part 2

Kate was crying in her bedroom. She stood up and wiped away her tears before she started hastily throwing things into a bag. Kate moved to the main room and started packing her bag there.

"Hey," Brian walked in. "What are you doing?"

"We're leaving in the morning," Kate replied.

Brian's brows furrowed. "We're leaving in the morning."

"Those 'agents'—look, they might find Michael, and—

"No, Kate, you don't have to worry about that." Brian interrupted. "You don't have to worry about anything. I took care of it."

"You took care of what?" Michael walked into the room.

Kate frowned. "Brian, what did you do?"

~/~\~

_Brian held up the professor's pin and laughed. "I know what you are."_

_"Yeah, I'm your professor." He replied obviously. "And thanks. I've been looking for that. Where'd you find it?"_

_"Where you left it…after you bit my friend."_

_The professor's brows furrowed. "I'm sorry. What are you—_

_"Stop, stop, stop." Brian cut him off. "Stop trying to cover. Just listen to me very carefully. I'm filming all this. And I've got a hidden camera in here, too. It's feeding back to my laptop at home, so if anything happens to me—_

_"Nothing is going to happen to you, Brian." The professor stressed. "But you know what? You need to calm down."_

_"I want you to turn me into a werewolf," Brian demanded._

_"Brian, I-I don't know where you—_

_"You don't know? Really?" Brian asked, putting his camera down on the desk. "Well, how about I, uh…" he took out a knife. "Cut you with this."_

_"Brian, listen to me." The professor pleaded._

_"This thing's made of silver, you know," Brian replied, pushing the professor into a chair._

_"Look, I'm not—please, I'm not what you think that I am." The professor stressed._

_"I don't care what you are. I just want you to turn me."_

_The professor growled as he transformed. "I don't want to hurt you."_

_"You're not going to, 'cause if you do, all of this winds up on CNN." Brian threatened._

~/~\~

_Brian put the knife down on the desk and picked up his camera. The professor was sitting on the other side of the desk._

_"So, you stumbled on Carter, wolfed out, and then what? Got a taste for hearts again?" Brian questioned._

_"You never lose the taste, if you're stupid enough to have one." The professor replied. "Once you have a human heart, it's almost impossible to control the monster inside. But I did, until last week when I, uh…fell off the wagon, as they say. You have no idea—no idea—how hard it is. I've trained myself not to hurt anyone. I have—I have trained myself to…choke down those other hearts."_

_"Animal hearts." Brian clarified._

_"And I have been clean…"_

_"Until last week?"_

_The professor nodded. "And then I saw Carter alone, and he was…he looked so weak. It's harder to cover things up nowadays. I knew a hunter would catch wind of this sooner or later."_

_"They did," Brian replied. "They're here. You needed a patsy. Michael."_

_"Yes." The professor muttered. "The young man who sleeps through most of my lectures. I mean, who would miss him?"_

_"Me." Brian glared._

_"Why are you doing this?"_

_"I want to see what you guys see…do what you do," Brian replied. "I'm sick of being Piggy. I want to be Ralph."_

_"We don't get to choose who we are."_

_Brian pushed up his sleeve to reveal a bloodstained bandage. He removed the bandage, which was covering a bite. "I did."_

~/~\~

"Oh, my God." Kate breathed.

"Brian." Michael shook his head.

"Oh, my God!" Kate repeated.

"What are you? Insane?" Michael glared.

"You're welcome for saving your ass." Brian retorted. "Look, watch."

Brian played footage from the professor's office on the computer. The professor growled and threw a chair. He held his hands to his head and then reached up to remove the hidden camera from the cupboard.

 _"Hey!"_ Angela yelled.

Sam, Dean, and Angela threw the professor onto and over his desk. Sam had a large knife in his belt. The professor got up and wolfed out. Sam lunged at the professor with his knife and the professor grappled with him until Dean shot him.

The professor fell against the wall, bleeding from his chest. "Thank you." He breathed before falling to the floor, dead.

 _"I've never killed a pureblood before,"_ Dean noted.

 _"What was he looking at?"_ Angela frowned as they walked towards the cupboard. _"What the hell? There's a camera…Babe, can you grab it for me?"_

Sam nodded and grabbed the camera from the cupboard, frowning deeply.

"See?" Brian snapped his fingers. "Problem solved. They killed the pureblood, they're moving on, and we're in the clear, just like you said."

"I never said—

"Kate," Brian smirked. "I, uh…I did this to protect you." He murmured. "I did what you couldn't," Brian told Michael.

"They saw the camera, Brian." Michael sighed. "You don't think they'll trace that back to you? What the hell's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong with me. You told me that." Brian replied. "I just…finally figured out what I want, and now I'm going after it. You thought I was hiding behind this?" he waved the camera. "I was hiding behind you. I am done living in your shadow. I've always lived in your shadow. But now—now we're equals. Anything you can do, right?"

"What?" Michael's brows furrowed. "You think this is a game? Do you have any idea what you've done to yourself?"

Brian shrugged. "Well, you wouldn't bite me, so I had to—

"You asked him to?" Kate cut in. "He asked you to bite him?" she asked Michael angrily.

"I didn't, okay?" Michael retorted before looking at Brian. "I didn't want to hurt you. I would never hurt you, Brian. This thing inside me—you don't want this."

"Oh, well, it's too late for that now." Brian chuckled.

Michael squared his shoulders. "I remember attacking Scott. I remember ripping his beating heart out of his chest! I remember the look in his dead eyes when I bit into that heart, Brian. And above all, I remember how sweet and delicious it tastes, and ever since I've tasted it, I've felt more powerful and out of control."

Brian grabbed Kate. "More weak. You don't need someone like Michael. You need someone who can take care of you."

"I can take care of myself." Kate glared.

Brian held Kate in front of him.

"Let her go," Michael demanded.

"Or what? You gonna cry some more?" Brian taunted.

Michael wolfed out and lunged for Brian as Kate started to scream.

"No! No!" Kate screamed.

Michael and Brian fought violently. Michael pushed Kate back when she attempted to intervene. Michael and Brian crashed through the glass doors to the bedroom and then came back into the main room. Michael kneeled over Brian and knocked him against the floor. Brian yelled as he stabbed Michael with a silver knife. Michael rolled onto his back, groaning in pain.

"Oh, baby." Kate sobbed. "Oh, baby. Oh, please don't die. Please don't die. Please don't die!"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Michael whispered as Brian crawled to a corner of the room. "I love you, baby."

"I love you." Kate cried.

Michael's body fell limp and Kate let out a broken sob.

"Michael? Michael!"

~/~\~

Kate was crying over Michael's body. She pulled the knife out of his stomach and crossed the room to where Brian was sitting against the wall. She slashed at his arm with a knife, but he grabbed her wrist and held her still.

"Kate, listen to me," he pleaded. "I love you. I love you. You'll understand. You just need to see what I see. After I bite you, you'll understand."

Kate cut Brian, broke away from his grip, and ran into the kitchen. Brian wolfed out and was waiting for her there. Kate screamed and ran back into the main room, but Brian caught her in his arms. He picked her up and growled.

~/~\~

Kate was looking at herself in the cracked bathroom mirror as she cried. Brian knocked on the door.

"Kate?" he asked. "Let me in."

Kate had a large bite mark on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Brian apologized. "We can fix this! We can…" he knocked on the door again. "Just let me in, okay?"

Kate watched as the bite mark on her shoulder healed in front of her eyes. She screamed and pushed out the shower screen. She started to throw things and broke the sink. Suddenly, she stopped screaming and smiled.

"Brian?" she called. "Brian, I'm coming out. I see it now. I understand."

Kate opened the door. Brian was waiting on the other side, a small smile on his face.

"I told you it would be alright," Brian whispered.

"Yeah. It will be. Here." Kate handed Brian the camera.

As Brian filmed Kate, she smiled and looked down, then looked up again with a growl as she wolfed out. She lunged at Brian and the camera swung wildly.

"No! No!" Brian screamed.

There was a loud roar as blood splattered on the walls.

~/~\~

Kate, covered in blood, sobbed over Michael's dead body. She stood up and covered him with a sheet. After cleaning up, she sat down at the computer and spoke into a camera.

~/~\~

 _"I didn't finish Brian's movie to justify what happened."_ She started. _"To be totally honest, I'm not really even sure if I understand it at all. I just wanted you to know that—that Michael wasn't always a monster. None of us were."_ She explained. _"I'm leaving. And you'll never hear from me again. Look, I know that there's another way. I can eat animal hearts."_ She added as tears rolled down her face. _"I've never hurt anyone. Nobody human, anyway. I didn't choose this. Please…give me a chance."_

Sam, Dean, and Angela sat silently for a few moments as the film ended. Sam sighed heavily.

~/~\~

"Okay, so, uh…this…" Dean looked under the sheet. "Yeah…is Michael, which means that is…"

"Brian Wilcox." Angela finished. "Our friendly neighborhood cameraman."

"Right." Dean nodded.

"Mm." Sam hummed. "Alright, so…" he looked at his watch. "What, she's got about a half-day jump on us?"

"Mm-hmm." Dean nodded.

"You alright?" Angela frowned.

"Mm-hmm."

Sam sighed. "Look, Kate's right. She hasn't hurt anybody—well, anybody human at least."

"Yeah, she didn't—she didn't choose this." Dean agreed. "Let's give her a shot."

Sam and Angela looked at each other, surprised.

"Seriously?" Angela asked Dean.

"Yeah, yeah." Dean nodded.

"And, look, if Kate pops back up, I mean, if she strays, then no questioned asked." Sam unplugged the hard drive and laptop on the desk and picked them up. "We do what we got to do and, um, we take her down."

"Hey, guys?" Dean asked.

"Yeah?" Sam replied.

"Do I really say 'awesome' a lot?" Dean frowned.

Sam and Angela looked at each other again before turning back to Dean.

"No," Angela replied. "No, no. No." she repeated as she and Sam headed for the door.

"Mm." Dean hummed. He followed the couple and cleared his throat. "Huh." Dean paused to look at a picture of Kate pinned on a board on the wall. "Awesome."

Both Sam and Angela smiled softly before walking out the door. Dean put the iPod back into the docking station before he followed.


	9. Blood Brother Part 1

_Enid, Oregon_

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked into the motel room. Sam immediately crossed to the bathroom and turned on the light. Dean and Angela looked around the room.

"Well, that is twice that he's burned us," Dean noted. "Shame on you."

"No, no, no, no." Sam walked out of the bathroom. "I'm the one who said he set us up."

"No, you said, 'I wonder if Kevin is setting us up', and then you started in with the—the techno babble," Dean argued. "That was like two states ago."

"Boys," Angela warned, folding her arms across her chest.

"Yeah, well, whatever." Sam huffed at Dean. "Either way, that's another room billed to one of Kevin's false credit IDs." He added as Dean picked the lock on the mini-bar. "And the motel ran his number today."

Angela frowned. "Just like he actually checked in?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded, sitting down on one of the beds.

"Kid's like _Rain Man,"_ Dean commented. "He's like a crappy little credit-card counting…criminal prodigy _Rain Man."_

"Well, he _was_ in advanced placement." Sam sassed as he pulled Angela down to sit on his lap.

"Shut up," Dean muttered as he handed Sam a beer and Angela a bottle of water. "When's that little idiot gonna stop running from us?"

Angela twisted the cap off of her water. "I don't know, Dean. I mean, you did try to kill his _mother."_

"I was trying to kill Crowley, okay?" Dean defended. "Who _happened_ to be wearing Kevin's mother at the time." He added. Sam and Angela just gave him a look. "Well, there's a difference!" Dean defended.

"Apparently not to Kevin." Angela retorted. "Oh, I know. Maybe because—oh, yeah—it's his mother!"

Dean's phone started to ring. "Hold that thought. No, actually, you know what? Don't hold that thought." He replied before answering the call. "Hello? Hello? Uh, hang on. There's not enough bars."

Dean went outside and closed the motel room door behind him.

~/~\~

"Benny?" Dean asked.

 _"Hey, Dean,"_ Benny spoke slowly. _"You, um—you got a minute? Afraid I messed up, buddy."_

Dean's frown deepened. "What did you do?"

 _"No, man, not like that,"_ Benny assured.

Dean looked over his shoulder at the motel room window, where he could see Sam and Angela staring. "I'm sorry. You took on how many?" Dean asked. "Are you crazy?"

 _"Hey. See, the thing is, my legs, they ain't working so good."_ Benny explained. _"There's, uh…a fuel barge not too far from here. I'm pretty sure I can make it at a slow crawl. I was kind of hoping maybe I could ask you for one more favor?"_

~/~\~

Dean put a bag down on the bed.

"And—and what exactly is that supposed to mean, you've got to go?" Angela's brows furrowed in frustration.

Dean sighed and raised his brows. "Which words are giving you guys trouble?"

"We're on the case, remember, Dean?" Sam reminded. "The—the Winchester holy grail, 'shut the gates of Hell forever' case!"

"Sure are." Dean agreed as he continued packing. "But in order to close the Gates of Hell, we need our Prophet, am I right? So, step one—find Kevin Tran. Well, he ain't here. But he wanted us to be, which means we're probably as far away from him as he could possibly put us. So, step two—find Kevin Tran." Dean explained as he looked in the mini-bar. "Either of you mind if I take the Toblerone?"

~/~\~

Dean left the motel room, Sam and Angela hot on his heels.

"Wait. Dean, seriously?" Angela pressed.

"Hey, the trail is dead, but the room is paid for." Dean shrugged. "You and Sammy can have a night to yourselves. I got some personal crap that I got to take care of. That's all."

Sam sighed, frustrated. "What does that mean—'personal'?"

Dean stared at his brother. "Did you have a stroke? Vocabulary? Personal, as in my own grown-up personal—I don't know—crap!"

"Dammit—

"What, Sam?" Dean interrupted. "Last I counted, you two took off _five months_ off from the job. I need a _day."_ He explained before getting into the Impala and starting the engine.

~/~\~

_Dean fell on his back to the ground during a fight. He looked around for his weapon, which was out of reach. He kicked out with a leg and knocked the monster he was fighting down. Dean got up and grabbed his weapon._

_Dean hurled the monster to the ground and swung his weapon at it three times. Dean reached behind him to put a hand on Benny's arm. Another monster charged at them as Benny continued to whistle. A second monster ran towards them and Dean and Benny got ready to strike._

~/~\~

Dean shook himself from the memory as he drove down a dark road.

~/~\~

Angela sat next to Sam at the table, resting her head against his shoulder. Sam looked up _Cascadia Credit,_ Kevin's Princeton admission form, and a credit card application with Kevin's picture in the name of _'Kevin Park'_ on his laptop.

"You are a wascally wabbit, Mr. Tran," Sam muttered.

Angela rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Sammy, let's take a break, we aren't getting anywhere."

Sam smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Just a few more minutes, babe." He replied. Sam frowned when he heard a whirring noise coming from the bathroom. "Stay here." He told Angela before he got up.

Sam walked into the bathroom and flipped the lights on. The bathroom fan was making the whirring sound.

~/~\~

_Sam and Angela walked into the motel lobby with Riot on a leash._

_"Everett." Angela greeted. "Hey, hon, you still on duty?"_

_"Yeah, yeah." Everett sighed._

_"How's your dad?" Sam asked._

_"He's kind of having it rough on the new regimen," Everett replied. "Can't keep anything down."_

_"That sucks." Sam sighed._

_"Yeah." Everett agreed._

_"Listen, um, we're gonna stay on another week, okay?" Angela smiled at Everett. "But we need you to run it on this card, 'cause we just canceled the one you had on file."_

_"Okay, sure." Everett nodded as Sam looked at the noisy air conditioner. "Figured you guys would have moved on by now."_

_"Right. Well, I'm—I'm kind of between jobs." Sam admitted, glancing at the air conditioner again. "Uh…plus, uh, dog has a surgery follow-up on Tuesday."_

_Everett chucked. "Yeah, you guys really messed up that dog."_

_"Right. Uh, thanks for that." Sam nodded with a small smile._

_The three of them looked at the noisy air conditioner._

_"Oh, yeah, it's all that thing does—piss, moan, and eat up money we ain't got," Everett commented._

_"Well, you got any tools?" Sam asked curiously._

_"Hell, if you can fix it, you don't need to go and look for a job. You got one here." Everett replied._

~/~\~

Sam shook himself from the memory. He screwed the cover back onto the fan and turned it on. The fan started to operate quietly.

Angela walked up behind Sam and hugged his waist. "There's my handsome handyman." She smiled softly.

Sam smiled at her and he turned the fan off. "I think it's time for that break." He murmured.

~/~\~

Dean pulled up to the dock in the Impala and parked next to a pick-up truck. He looked into the cabin of the truck and then opened the covered truck bed. He opened a small ice chest, which contained blood bags. Dean shook his head, took the ice chest, and closed the truck bed.

~/~\~

"Benny!" Dean called.

Dean walked down a flight of stairs and found Benny leaning against the wall.

"Benny?" Dean knelt down next to him. "Not lookin' good."

Benny chuckled. "Up yours."

Dean opened the ice chest.

~/~\~

Dean leaned against a table, on which there were many empty blood bags. Benny came out of the bathroom wearing clean clothes.

"Wow. You, uh…look okay." Dean commented, clearly surprised.

"Getting there." Benny nodded.

"Dude, you were double-hamstrung."

"Yeah, well, a little rest, a half cooler full of AB-negative—most wounds short of an amputation will mend up…vampirically speaking," Benny explained.

"Uh-huh." Dean nodded.

Benny picked up a bag and put on his cap. "I'll be 100% before you know it." He assured, picking up the ice chest. "Thank you, brother."

Dean sighed deeply. "Benny, what's going on?"

"Oh, your work here is done, Dean. You already saved the day." Benny replied. "You know, I got my, uh, deal, and you got—what'd you call it? A family business?"

"Benny." Dean pressed. "What's going on?"

Benny shook his head. "You and that whole 'friend' thing, man."

~/~\~

_Dean stood up after killing a monster. Benny cleaned his weapon on another monster's clothing. A third monster swung a weapon at Castiel, who put a hand on the monster's head and smote him in a blaze of light. The monster fell to the ground dead._

_"Well, I got to admit, Dean—he's got his strong points, but holy hell if he ain't a magnet," Benny commented._

_"Well, before he found Cas, you said it was my humanity that was drawing too much attention." Dean retorted._

_"Yeah, that too." Benny nodded._

_Castiel walked over to Benny and Dean. "Well, I think we're clear for the moment. It does present a curious curl in the metaphysics, doesn't it? If you kill a monster in monster heaven, where does it go?"_

_Benny's brows furrowed. "And this is the crazy aunt I want to take on the road?"_

_Castiel narrowed his eyes. "I am not your aunt."_

_"What? Really?" Benny feigned shock._

_"I have no possible relationship to your sibling offspring," Castiel assured._

_"Now, you're kidding me," Benny smirked._

_Dean rolled his eyes. "Oh, you two are killing me!"_

_Castiel turned to Dean. "I have to agree with the vampire, Dean. The risk of crossing Purgatory with a seraph, it's…less than strategic, and certainly when we have no reason to believe that I can pass through the door that you're headed for."_

_"You see, you're an intact, living human being stuck in Purgatory's craw," Benny explained. "This dimension wants to spit you out, which is exactly what's gonna power our escape pod. Now, I'm pretty sure I can squeeze through, too, because, after all, you take away the fangs and the fun, I was born human, too. But…"_

_"I don't think it would work for me." Castiel sighed._

_"You hear what he's telling you, Dean?" Benny asked. "Your buddy is saying—_

_"Listen to me, you undead blood junkie," Dean interrupted. "I'm the one with the mojo. I'm the one with the plan. Cas…we're gonna shove your ass back through the eye of that needle if it kills all three of us."_

_"Obviously, I am less than comfortable with that," Benny muttered._

~/~\~

"Well, it's good to know you're still dumb as ever," Benny noted.

"Yeah, well, some things never change." Dean retorted. "Now, why are you getting into machete fights with your own kind?"

"Quentin, the one I came for?" Benny reminded. "We were in the same nest. I'm hunting the vampire who turned me, my maker."

Dean's brows furrowed. "Well, now, don't get me wrong. I'm down with the hunting, but, uh…why?"

"Kill him before he kills me…again," Benny replied.

~/~\~

A bloodstained wallet, money clip, keys, and machetes were spread out on a table. Benny picked up the money clip.

"Quentin and I went way back—one of the old man's favorites, next to me, it turns out," Benny explained.

Dean was looking through a notebook. "Listen to this. 'Age of Aquarius II, 0800', and then there's some other numbers all crossed out. Some other weird names here, too—the Big Mermaid, Solitaire—it's all crossed out, except this one—the Lucky Myra."

"Yachts. Names of yachts—Lucky Myra…" Benny took the notebook from Dean. "Age of Aquarius. Look at this one—Sea You Later, spelled s-e-a. I mean, come on." He set the notebook down on the table.

"So then these are launch times. And what—destinations?" Dean frowned.

"Mm-hmm. Except none of them ever got there. The Lucky Myra left yesterday afternoon. I guarantee you it's already been hit."

"What do you mean, 'hit'?" Dean questioned.

"Boarded, burned, and buried at sea," Benny replied. "My nest—that's how we fed…how we always fed. We kept a tight little fleet, maybe a half-dozen boats. Nothing ostentatious, just pleasure craft. I must have circled the Americas ten times during my tour." He explained. "A few of us would act as stringers and patrol the harbors, looking for the right-size target—fat, rich yachts going to far-off ports. Take down the boat's name and destination, radio it to the crew in the water. And then we just, uh…let the ocean swallow up all our sins."

Dean raised his brows. "Vampire pirates? That's what you guys are?" he asked. "Vampirates."

Benny chuckled. "You know, all the years we ran together, I can't believe nobody ever thought of that."

"What do you mean? It's like the third thing you say." Dean replied.

"No, it isn't."

Dean just shook his head. "Alright, so, y-your maker is set up to feed around here, right?" he asked as he took the money and a piece of paper from the wallet on the table. "Well, what are we looking for?"

"Well, he likes to live in style," Benny replied as Dean pocketed the money. "He usually rents legitimately. Always remote, always coastal."

Dean unfolded the piece of paper. "So, an island, maybe? You got a cable bill here. Hmm. Quentin's got the NFL package. Prentiss Island. Heard of it?"

"Oh, yeah." Benny nodded.

~/~\~

The Impala sped down a dark road.

~/~\~

"Yeah, so, if you were your maker's favorite, why did he kill you?" Dean asked curiously as he drove.

"When you get turned, it's like you're reborn into a vampire nest. Your maker—he means everything to you." Benny explained as he took a blood bag from the ice chest. "I mean, you really start believing he's God. Now, if your maker happens to believe the same thing, well…" he trailed off before drinking from the bag.

Dean watched as Benny drank from the blood bag. "See how that could be a pickle."

"Mm."

"Well, uh—you really have to do that? I mean, right now?" Dean grimaced slightly.

Benny chuckled. "I'm sorry, brother. I'm better, but I'm still on the mend."

"Right." Dean nodded.

"Anyway…our father—he was a jealous god. He kept the family together but he kept us apart from the rest of the world, always at sea." Benny continued. "I always did what was best for the nest…till I met her. Andrea. Andrea Kormos. I mean, words don't even cut it, you know? Greek, heiress."

"Come on," Dean smirked.

"She was sailing a 42-foot sloop to the Canary Islands. Now, I should have called her boat's destination to my crew, but instead, I joined her on it."

"Seriously? Was Fabio on the cover of that paperback?" Dean laughed.

"My life changed when she entered it, Dean," Benny replied seriously. "Everything I had been or done up to that point just…seemed to vanish…into whatever we had become together. I mean…we found it, man. Eventually, we settled in Louisiana. And then one night, we were coming home, and the old man—he was just there. Quentin, Sorento, my oldest nestmates. It was only that night I understood what a crime it was to him—me leaving him. They pinned me down, and they beheaded me. The last thing I saw was the old man tearing out Andrea's throat."

Dean paused for a moment. "Well, that's what payback's all about—am I right?"

"Docks are up ahead. Should be able to find a dinghy to use."

~/~\~

Dean and Benny were in a small motorboat. As they approached the shore, Dean sat at the bow with a rope and prepared to jump off.

~/~\~

Dean jumped off the boat and secured the rope. Benny threw him two bags. The two walked through a forest, Dean texting as they walked.

"We're close," Benny noted as Dean continued to text. "Remind you of anything?"

Dean deleted the message and pocketed his phone. Benny and Dean took their weapons out of their bags.

"It's weird being back—in the world, I mean," Benny commented as they threw their bags on the ground. "Isn't it?"

"Sure as hell is." Dean agreed.

"I mean, what do you do with it all? All the—all the everything?" Benny asked. "Hell, I don't even know if this world is real, if I'm real."

"Hey, listen to me," Dean replied firmly. "I've seen what happens down that rabbit hole, okay? We're real. Benny, this is real. It's the only way to play this game, you get me?"

~/~\~

Benny and Dean walked into a large house. They went through the entry hallway into the main room with their weapons ready. Benny stopped to look at a harpsichord.

"Time to move, Benny," Dean whispered.

"The old man's harpsichord," Benny muttered.

"Benny!" Dean pressed.

Dean walked away as Benny looked at a framed photograph of a woman on a nearby table.

"No. No, no." Benny breathed.

The woman in the photograph, Andrea, came down the stairs. Benny turned to look at her, shock evident on his face.

"Benny?" Andrea asked in disbelief.

"Andrea," Benny whispered.

A man walked up behind Benny while another man appeared around a corner, and a third man came down the stairs behind Andrea. The man behind Benny knocked him to the ground. Dean listened from behind a wall.

"Idiot." Dean shook his head.


	10. Blood Brother Part 2

Dean walked around a corner when his phone started to buzz. He took out his phone but didn't accept the call. "Little busy right now." He muttered.

Dean put the phone back in his pocket as he walked slowly down a hallway. He ducked out of sight as a man appeared at the end of the hallway. After a few moments, he opened the door to the room he was hiding in.

~/~\~

Sam sighed when he got Dean's voicemail. Angela came up and set a cup of coffee down in front of him.

"Anything?" she asked.

Sam just shook his head. "He didn't pick up."

Angela sat down next to him. "Anything on Kevin?"

"No." Sam sighed, running a hand over his face. "I need a break."

Angela was about to say something but was interrupted by Sam's phone ringing.

"Hey." Sam greeted, putting his phone on speaker.

 _"Okay, what?"_ Dean's voice rang through.

Sam frowned. "What?"

 _"Why did you call me?"_ Dean asked.

"Why are you whispering?" Angela asked.

 _"It's kind of hard to explain right now, but I'm sort of in the middle of cleaning out a vampire's next, and it's sort of gone a little sideways on me,"_ Dean explained.

"What?!" Angela exclaimed. "Are you an idiot, Dean? You know better than to go into a vamp nest alone." She reprimanded.

 _"I'm not alone, dammit,"_ Dean replied. _"Alright? I'm not alone. I've got backup—guy who's been tracking the nest for a while."_

"What guy? Garth?" Sam questioned.

 _"What? No."_ Dean replied. _"You don't know him. He's a friend."_

"A friend?" Sam scoffed. "Dean, you don't have any—all your friends are dead."

 _"That's not what I called to talk about!"_ Dean retorted.

~/~\~

Dean was texting as Sam talked.

 _"I get the separate-lives thing,"_ Sam started. _"But this is a hunting thing, and we need to find that line—_

Dean rolled his eyes. "Oh, my God, stop talking. I texted you guys my 20."

 _"Yeah, we got it. Look, we're on our way."_ Sam replied. _"And, listen, if you handle it, great. I'll buy your friend the first round. But, Dean, listen to me. It—Dean?"_

 _"Dean, are you there?"_ Angela asked.

Dean had left his phone, still on, on a sideboard.

 _"Dean."_ Sam pressed.

A vampire heard the phone and walked over to the sideboard.

 _"Dean. You kidding me?"_ Sam sighed.

Dean came up and cut off the vampire's head, then picked up his phone from the ground. The screen was shattered.

"Oh, man, come on." Dean groaned.

~/~\~

Sam hung up and threw his phone to the floor. "Dammit!"

Angela sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She took Sam's hands in hers, attempting to calm him down.

~/~\~

As Dean prepared to move the body of the vampire he killed, he looked up and saw a second vampire watching him.

~/~\~

A body lied on the ground in the hallway as two more vampires showed up. They noticed a body being dragged into a nearby room and ran towards the room. There was a slashing sound and the sound of a head hitting the floor, then another slashing sound. A head flew through the air into the hallway. Dean stepped out of the room with his Purgatory weapon in his hand and walked down the hallway.

~/~\~

_"What the hell do you know about the value of life?" Dean asked. "You're a vampire."_

_Dean, Benny, and Castiel were walking through a forest._

_"Yep. And I think we both know which of our kinds kills more humans." Benny replied._

_"Well, statistically speaking, that'd be you—_

_"Yes, thank you, Cas." Dean interrupted._

_"I get it. You're worried what I might do if we make it topside. I'll start eating your little piggies. I already told you, man—by the time I got iced, I was strictly on blood transfusions, donated blood. Not donated to me, I'll give you that, but I paid good black-market scratch for it." Benny explained._

_"So, what is that? Like the vampire Zone diet?" Dean questioned._

_"Look, all I'm saying is I started seeing something in humanity, okay? Something that shouldn't be taken." Benny replied. "I drink blood. I don't drink people."_

_"And why the hell should I believe you?" Dean challenged._

_"What does it matter what you believe?" Benny challenged. "You got your head so far up your ass, Dean, you don't even realize we're already done for. The angel knows it. We are never gonna make it with him next to us glowing like a beacon."_

_"Do I need to remind you of our deal? Of what you committed to?" Dean asked._

_"He is gonna get us killed." Benny glared._

_Castiel looked around. "We may get to test that theory."_

_"More monsters?" Dean frowned._

_"Leviathan," Castiel answered._

_"Why don't you blip out of here?"_

_Castiel shook his head. "They're too close. I can't. Run."_

~/~\~

Dean walked through the large house.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela walked towards a car and discreetly broke in. The couple got into the car and drove off. Sam held his phone to his ear while driving.

_"This is Dean's other, other—_

Sam hung up and dropped the phone to the floor of the car. He sped up from 80 mph to 90.

Angela gripped the door handle as Sam sped up, his driving was making her nauseous. "Baby, you have to slow down, just a bit."

~/~\~

Dean came up behind Andrea just as her fangs started to descend. He stabbed her from behind then cut her head off. Benny and Dean looked at each other before Benny looked down sadly at Andrea's lifeless body.

~/~\~

Dean and Benny prepared to launch the boat.

"Why'd you do it, Dean?" Benny asked suddenly.

Dean looked confused. "Do what?"

"Resurrect me. You could have drained my soul into any culvert, and no one would have been the wiser."

Dean's frown deepened. "What the hell are you talking about? Hey, you good?"

"Man… I don't know what I am," Benny admitted.

~/~\~

_Dean, Benny, and Castiel ran through the forest. Something hit the ground near Dean in a cloud of thick black smoke. Dean, Benny, and Castiel stopped. The smoke cleared and a mass of black goo transformed into a Leviathan._

_"Oh, great," Dean muttered sarcastically._

_The Leviathan moved towards Dean while Castiel headed in the opposite direction. Another missile of black smoke hit the ground in front of Castiel and transformed into another Leviathan. Dean swung at the first Leviathan with his weapon. The second Leviathan threw Castiel to the ground. Dean hacked again at the first Leviathan. As the second Leviathan's mouth transformed, Benny cut off its head and gave Castiel a hand to pull him up._

~/~\~

Dean and Benny were in the boat approaching the dock. Benny was steering and Dean was standing at the bow with rope. Sam and Angela waited on the dock. Dean threw the rope to Sam and tossed his and Benny's bags onto the dock.

~/~\~

Dean stepped off the boat. Sam and Angela looked past him to Benny, who joined Dean on the dock.

"I'm Benny." He introduced himself to Sam and Angela. Benny first offered his hand to Angela, who shook it.

Angela's brows furrowed as she shook Benny's hand. It was cold, _lifelessly_ cold. She looked over at Dean, confusion evident on her face. If he noticed her staring at him, he sure as hell didn't let it show.

"I've heard a lot about the both of you." Benny smiled slightly as he moved to shake Sam's hand.

Sam frowned as he shook Benny's hand. He stepped in front of Angela protectively and looked at Dean. Sam undid the cover of a knife holster at his side with his left hand, and his fingers flexed on his knife. Dean just shook his head and Sam loosened his grip on his knife. Benny let go of Sam's hand.

"I can see you three have a lot to talk about."


	11. Southern Comfort Part 1

Dean was leaning against the Impala checking his phone. Sam and Angela walked up carrying bags of fast food and a drink carrier.

"Heads up." Sam handed Dean a drink and walked to the passenger side with Angela.

"I caught wind of a case on this police scanner. Sounds like our kind of thing." Dean replied.

"We weren't even gone ten minutes." Angela frowned.

"Okay." Dean shrugged. "That matters why?"

Sam pursed his lips. "I don't know, Dean. How about because you haven't said a word to me or Angela since Prentiss Island? And now, what? You want us to shut up and ride shotgun and act like nothing happened?"

Dean sighed. "You want to talk about Benny? Fine. Let's talk."

"Okay." Sam nodded. "How about he's a vampire?"

"He's also the reason I'm topside and not roasting on a spit in Purgatory." Dean countered. "Anything else?"

"Don't pretend we don't get it," Sam replied. "We know you had to do what you had to do down there."

Dean scoffed. "I highly doubt either of you get _anything_ about Purgatory."

"But you're out now, and Benny's still breathing." Sam retorted. "Why?"

Angela sighed deeply, not wanting to get caught in the middle of one of their fights. Honestly, it's been stressing her out—the constant arguments.

"He's my friend, Sam," Dean admitted.

"And what about my friend, Amy? She was what?" Sam questioned. "'Cause you sure as hell didn't have a problem ganking her."

"Well, I guess people change, don't they?" Dean retorted. "We let that werewolf Kate go, didn't we?"

"Can we just please get on the road?" Angela asked.

"She was different." Sam ignored Angela. "She—you think Benny's different? He tell you he's not drinking live blood, or something?" Sam raised his brows. "And you believe him. Wow. Okay. You know, you're right. People do change."

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "I got a vampire buddy and you and Angela turn your phones off for months."

"Don't turn this on us," Sam warned.

Angela huffed impatiently and opened the passenger door. She got inside and shimmied to the middle of the seat.

"Look, Benny slips up and some other hunter turns his lights out, so be it." Dean shrugged.

"But it's not gonna be you, right?" Sam raised his brows.

Dean rolled his eyes. "You coming or not?"

~/~\~

The Impala pulled up and parked on the street outside the house. Sam, Dean, and Angela were wearing their FBI apparel.

"So, guy's old lady comes home while he's working underneath his ride, puts the pedal to the metal, and takes half his head off," Dean explained.

"What, that's it?" Sam frowned.

"Yeah, in a nutshell." Dean nodded. "She says she blacked out, doesn't remember a damn thing."

"Well, that sounds like insanity," Angela commented.

"Maybe," Dean replied.

"So, how does that make this our kind of thing?" Sam asked.

Dean sighed, frustrated. "Because, Sam, Kevin's in the wind, okay, and I can't help but ask myself, when is decapitation not my thing?" Dean retorted before getting out of the car.

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, and Angela walked up to the sheriff's line outside the house and held up their badges.

"Whoa, whoa." The deputy frowned. "FBI?"

"Yeah, happened to be in the neighborhood." Angela nodded.

The deputy raised his brows. "First a Texas Ranger, now you guys?"

"Texas Ranger?" Dean frowned.

"Yes, sir. Right over there." The deputy pointed to Garth, who was interviewing a witness.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Oh, you got to be kidding me."

Garth took off his cowboy hat and fanned himself with it. Dean, Sam, and Angela walked over to Garth.

"Hey, Chuck Norris." Dean greeted.

Garth turned around and grinned. Sam? Dean! Angela!"

"Shh." Sam hushed.

Garth laughed and hugged Sam tightly.

"Forgot he was a hugger," Sam muttered.

Garth pulled away from Sam and turned to Dean. "Come here!"

"Alright. Okay." Dean sighed as Garth hugged him. "We're still—we're still working here."

Garth pulled away and looked at Angela. "You're pregnant!"

Angela smiled and nodded. "Yup. Five months along." She replied. "Now come here, I want my hug."

Garth grinned and hugged Angela. "Congrats! Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"

Angela pulled away and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Actually, Sammy and I decided that we want it to be a surprise."

"I'm so happy for you guys!" Garth replied excitedly. "You guys have no idea how much I missed you."

"Um, excuse us, would you?" Dean asked the witness.

"Yeah, we'll be right back," Garth assured.

The four hunters walked a short distance away from the witness.

"A Texas Ranger, Garth? Seriously?" Dean asked. "We're in Missouri."

"What? Come on. I look like a funeral director in one of those." Garth gestured to Dean's suit. "Wow. I heard some chatter you three were back in the batter's box, but I didn't believe it till now."

Suddenly, a cell phone started playing Kris Kross's _'Jump'._ Garth opened his jacket to reveal three phones in a row in separate pockets.

"Oh, uh, one sec. Um…" he answered one of the phones. "Yo, Earl. What you got? A revenant. Okay, uh, you'll need a casket and some silver spikes. Oh, and don't get bit. No, it won't turn you, but it will hurt like hell. Okay, so, once you got all that, nail that sucker in, bury him, and throw away the key. Okay? Alright. Hasta."

Garth hung up and turned back to the three hunters. Dean was glaring at him.

"What are you doing?" Dean interrogated.

"My job, hombre." Garth shrugged.

"Your job?" Dean raised his brows.

"Yeah."

"And since when is giving advice your job?" Dean questioned.

"Hold up," Angela interjected. "Are you the new Bobby?"

Dean's eyes widened. "You shut your mouth!"

"Yes," Garth replied simply.

Dean frowned at him. "You shut your mouth! What?"

"Bobby was gone. You guys were MIA. It was a weird time." Garth explained. "Somebody had to step in and take up the slack. Let's just get back to work, and we'll talk about this later, alright?" he added before walking away.

"Did Garth just tell us what to do?" Dean asked.

After a moment, Dean, Sam, and Angela followed Garth, who had returned to the witness.

"Uh, Scott Lew. These three here are with the FBI." Garth explained. "Mr. Lew's parents were the individuals involved in this… unfortunate situation."

"Sorry for your loss." Dean apologized.

"Just a few questions, Mr. Lew," Angela cut in gently. "Um, by any chance were your parents having… marital problems?"

Scott shook his head. "No. Uh, no more than anyone else."

"What about your mother's health?" Sam asked. "Any chance this was a seizure, a stroke, anything that might help explain this?"

"I don't think so." Scott sighed. "Um, they're checking her out at the, um, hospital right now."

"What about stranger behavior?" Dean asked.

Scott's brows furrowed. "Stranger? How?"

"Hearing voices, seeing things—your mother mention anything like that?" Dean questioned.

"My parents were married for 30 years, high-school sweethearts," Scott explained. "There's no good explanation for why this happened, no matter where you want to look."

"Okay, well, thank you, Scott. We'll be in touch." Garth replied.

Scott walked away. Dean looked Garth up and down.

~/~\~

Sam was on one knee using an EMF reader in the covered area where Mr. Lew had been working on his car. Angela stood next to him.

"No EMF. No traces of sulfur anywhere." Sam noted. "Like Angie and I thought—bust."

"Hold on there, Sam," Garth cut in. "There's a lot of things to factor in here. Uh, it happened last night, so the readings could be cold by now."

"Good point." Dean agreed, earning an eye roll from Sam.

"And, uh, even if there was any sulfur, Barney Fife and his crew probably contaminated the whole crime scene and any evidence that was here with it." Garth continued.

"Wow. He's on a roll." Dean smirked.

"That's one word for it." Sam scoffed.

"Uh, guys, I think I found something," Garth noted. He lifted his foot, revealing green goo stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

"Is that gum, or is that ectoplasm?" Dean frowned.

"Ectoplasm is usually black, right?" Angela asked.

Garth tasted the green goo. "Mm." he hummed as the three other hunters grimaced. "Definitely ectoplasm. So, what are we thinking—uh, some kind of ghost, right?"

Dean snapped his fingers. One of Garth's cell phoned played Kool Moe Dee's _'Wild, Wild West'._

"Uh, Ranger McCrae here," Garth answered.

"One of those things rings Hammer, I'm throwing down," Dean muttered.

"Oh, great. Okay. Okay." Garth wrote something on his palm. "Thanks, Doc." He added before hanging up. "Asked the coroner to drop me a line in case the autopsy turned up anything…unusual. And guess what. Our dead guy had the word _'Alcott'_ carved into his chest."

"With what?" Angela questioned.

"Coroner's best guess? His wife Mary's fingernails." Garth answered.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Garth were standing next to Mary Lew's bed, to which she was handcuffed. A Sheriff stood guard outside the room.

"Mrs. Lew, can you tell us what happened?" Sam asked gently.

"I was at the store getting groceries, and the next thing I know, my son Scott finds me in the driveway. And Chester was…" her voice started to waver.

"Do you remember anything at all about what happened? Um… Chester dying?" Angela asked.

Mary shook her head. "Not really. Bits and pieces, I guess."

Garth started to giggle. He looked at the three other hunters and quickly turned his giggle into a cough.

Dean rolled his eyes before looking at Mary. "Such as?"

"I remember his screams…" she whispered. "The smell of burnt rubber, and… I remember feeling so angry—just uncontrollable rage, like I wasn't myself. And after it was over, all that anger was—just gone."

"Uh, ma'am, does the word 'Alcott' mean anything to you?" Garth asked curiously.

Mary clenched a hand into a fist and tugged against the handcuff chaining her to the bed. "What does she have to do with anything?"

Sam raised his brows. "It's a she?"

"My husband, Chester, and I were going steady in high school for a few years already when we had a big fight," Mary explained.

"What about?" Angela asked.

Mary scoffed. "Something stupid, I'm sure. It was around prom, and so he took Sara Alcott as his date instead of me."

"So, this Sara Alcott was a rival for your husband's affections?" Garth inquired.

"Sara had one night with him, whereas I was with Chester for 37 years." She replied as she started to cry.

"Of course, right. Sure." Sam nodded. "Um, just one more question. Um… Is… Ms. Alcott still alive?"

"As far as I know, yes."

"Thank you very much, Mrs. Lew," Angela replied gently.

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, Angela, and Garth walked out of the hospital and towards the Impala.

"Let me get this straight," Dean started. "This poor guy goes to prom with some girl over 30 years ago, and because of that, he is now a pancake?"

"I mean, if this is a ghost, maybe it's some sort of possession?" Sam suggested.

Dean's brows furrowed. "What are you talking about? You heard her. Alcott's alive."

"Well, we're definitely gonna want to talk to her," Garth interjected.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan." Dean agreed. "Did we eat yet?"

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, Angela, and Garth were eating at a table in the bar. A waitress brought by another plate.

"There you go." She smiled.

"Mmm. Thanks. Keep 'em coming." Garth replied.

"Alright." She nodded before walking to the next table.

"So, Dean, give me the skinny," Garth said through a mouthful. "Where were you this past year?"

Dean gave Garth a tight-lipped smile. "Why don't we save what I did on my summer vacation for another time?"

"Aw, come on!" Garth pressed.

"Alright." Dean sighed. "I was in Purgatory."

Garth frowned. "Like the _Purgatory,_ Purgatory?"

"No, the one in Miami." Dean sassed.

"Man, that's balls," Garth replied.

Dean's brows furrowed. "That's not how you say 'balls'."

"So, how'd you get out?" Garth asked, ignoring Dean's comment.

Sam made a show of looking at Dean and Angela just cleared her throat uncomfortably. Dean looked around at the Confederate flag on the wall.

"What's up with all the, uh, hillbilly hankies?" Dean asked. "These people know the Civil War's over, right?"

"Mm. That's a touchy subject around these parts." Garth replied. "See, Missouri was a border state. So, half the men were Confederate, the other half were the Union."

"How do you know all this?" Angela asked curiously.

"I went to college," Garth replied obviously.

Sam looked slightly surprised. "You went to college?"

"Yeah." Garth nodded. "College, and on to dental school."

"What, you—you were a dentist?" Dean raised his brows.

Garth nodded and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Yeah, just for, like, a hot minute. Where'd you think I got my first case?"

Dean smirked. "Let me guess—Tooth Fairy."

Garth crumpled up his napkin and looked down at the table. "Yeah. Man, I felt terrible when I ganked that SOB."

Angela's brows furrowed. "Uh, you killed the Tooth Fairy?"

"Yeah." Garth nodded. "I mean, not my proudest moment, but it happened. Mmm. Man, this is good."

~/~\~

Jeff's body lied on the floor, covered with a bloodstained sheet. Dean, Sam, and Angela, dressed in their FBI apparel, walked over to it.

"So, first the mom goes _'Natural Born Killer'_ , and now the son? Well, what do we got—a ghost with an Oedipus complex?" Dean asked, earning a look from Sam and Angela. "I don't know what that means," Dean admitted.

"Check that out." Angela noted, pointing to a cabinet with the word _'Sussex'_ written on it in blood.

"Sussex. What is that, another name?" Dean frowned.

"Don't know," Sam muttered.

Garth, who was wearing his Ranger jacket and an old baseball cap, finished talking to the Sheriff and turned to the three hunters.

"Hey, what'd the cops say?" Angela questioned.

"Aw, come on." Garth groaned as he accidentally stepped in green goo. "Not much. Uh, Scott insisted he wasn't in control of himself. Says all he remembers is a red-hot rage."

"So, what is this, some—some kind of family curse?" Sam theorized.

Dean narrowed his eyes. "Is that Bobby's hat?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure is." Garth smiled. "We worked a rugaru case together a few years back. He left it in my car, so I kept it as a…" he trailed off as Dean took the cap from his head. "Memento. What are you doing?"

"That's not how you wear it." Dean retorted.

"Surveillance is up…" the Deputy explained as Dean tucked the cap under his jacket. "But something is all screwy with it. Must be the camera."

"Yeah, thank you, there, Deputy." Garth nodded.

"You guys see the head? Ever seen anything like that before?" Dean frowned.

"Like that? No way." Garth replied.

"So?" Angela asked.

"So…" Dean raised his brows.

"So, I'm thinking we need to talk to Sara Alcott," Garth explained. "I found her—although these days, she goes by Sara Brown."

"How about this? Angie and I will check her out, and you two see what you can find out about Sussex." Sam suggested.

"Word." Garth nodded.

"Awesome." Dean rolled his eyes.

"Play nice, boys," Angela replied, giving Dean a look. She had noticed that he'd been treating Garth like crap lately.

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, and Sara Alcott were sitting in chairs on the porch. Sam and Angela were drinking iced tea.

"Mmm." Angela hummed in satisfaction.

"Now, I know you didn't come all this way for my sweet tea, Agents." Sara smiled.

"No. Um, actually, we're—we're here about Chester Lew." Sam replied.

"Oh, yes." Sara nodded. "So sad."

"It is," Angela agreed, setting her glass on the table. "Is it true you and Chester… dated a ways back?"

Sara chuckled. "Well, that is an odd question for the FBI, isn't it?"

"You wouldn't believe the awkward questions we've had to ask people," Sam replied.

A laugh erupted from Sara's mouth. "Yeah. Well, yes. Yes. Me and that old tomcat, Chester, we went to prom together. That's about it."

"And that's all?" Angela asked.

"Well, I wasn't exactly a _good girl,_ if that's what you mean," Sam replied suggestively. "And after that, I-I thought that Chester and I were gonna be hot and heavy. But it just wasn't meant to be. And, uh, a week later, he eloped with Mary."

"Did you speak much to Mary or Chester again after that?" Sam questioned.

"Well, I'd see them about, you know—picnics and such. But… Mary kept Chester on a pretty short leash." She explained. "Honestly, I'd moved on, but it seems she never did."

"And why do you think that is?" Angela asked.

Sara shrugged. "Well, I guess in her mind, I was a reminder of Chester's betrayal."

"Huh." Sam nodded.

"So, if that's all…"

"Yes, uh, thank you very much for your help. And the tea." Angela smiled softly.

Sara went inside while Sam and Angela walked away.

~/~\~

Dean and Garth were sitting at a table in the motel room. Garth was reading a journal while Dean was using the laptop and drinking a beer. Garth reached for a beer that was on the table between them, but Dean grabbed it, keeping it just out of Garth's reach.

"Easy there, flyweight," Dean warned. "Last time you drank a beer, I had to pick you up off the floor."

Garth chuckled and shook his head. "You're such an idjit."

Dean's face hardened, and he looked at Garth. "Idjit's supposed to be used angrily. Okay? Not happy. If you're gonna butcher it, don't say it at all."

Garth frowned at Dean's sudden outburst. "Whoa, then. Okay. N-none of my business, but… this have anything to do with you, Sam, and Angela?"

Dean took a sip of his beer. "No, you had it right. It's none of your business."

"Okay." Garth nodded in understanding. "Things just seem tense between you guys. And it can't be good for the baby…"

"We're fine." Dean glared. "Can we get back to work?"

"Yeah." Garth nodded.

"Okay."

"Alright. Just, uh—just letting you know that I'm here for you, for anything." Garth offered. "I know sometimes Bobby, he would—

"You're not Bobby!" Dean snapped angrily. "Okay? You're never gonna be Bobby, so stop!"

Garth clenched his jaw angrily, tears forming in his eyes. "Bobby belonged to all of us, Dean—not just you, Sam, and Angela. Now, I'm just taking what he showed me and trying to do something with it. That's all!"

Dean sighed, regretting his outburst. "Why don't you see if you can find something in that bourbon-drenched book of his so we can get the hell out of Dixie, alright?" he suggested more softly.

Garth nodded. "Yeah. I'm on it."

Dean continued looking at the laptop and his brows raised. "Hey. _'Sussex'_ is not a who, it's a what. It's a business that went belly-up about a year ago. Look at this." He turned the laptop towards Garth. "So, the guy that Scott brained? His old business partner—ran the company into the ground."

"So, Scott had a beef with Jeff." Garth summarized.

"Looks like," Dean replied before his phone started ringing. "Hey," he answered. "You guys are on speaker."

 _"Sara Alcott's clean, if you look past the fact that she and Chester knocked boots on prom night back in the day,"_ Angela explained.

"Okay, so… Mary has a grudge against Sara, and Scott has a grudge against Jeff." Dean recapped. "Besides the fact that this is making my head hurt… How does this add up to a ghost?"

Garth was reading Bobby's journal when he perked up. "Guys! Bobby has it right here. Green goo equals a specter."

"Which equals ghost, right?" Dean asked.

"Mm, yeah, kind of." Garth nodded. "A specter is an avenging ghost. It, uh—it possesses you and finds out whatever betrayals you're feeling and forces you to act on them."

 _"Bobby say anything in there about how we hunt these things?"_ Sam asked.

"Uh, the last specter he encountered rose shortly after someone desecrated a nearby grave," Garth explained as he typed something into the laptop. "Which… Uh, there was a grave desecrated locally three days ago. It says here… Oh." His face fell. "This could get awkward."

Dean's brows furrowed. "What?"

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, Angela, and Garth approached a tomb that was guarded by a uniformed man.

"The unknown soldier?" Dean asked incredulously. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Mary Lew steamrolled her husband the day after this place was vandalized," Garth explained. "Do the math."

"But, I thought the unknown soldier was buried in Arlington." Angela chimed in.

"Yep, but this is the Confederate tomb of the unknown soldier," Garth replied. "See, the idea was, they took a faceless, nameless soldier they couldn't identify, and they buried him here to commemorate all the soldiers who died."

"Did you learn that in college?" Dean raised his brows.

Garth shook his head. "Nope—Civil War re-enactments." He corrected. "Once a year, every year. Don't hate."

Sam chuckled slightly. "Okay, uh, what about the guard?"

"Uh, he's ceremonial. Gone by dusk." Garth shrugged.

"So, then we do this tonight?" Angela asked.

"Yeah." Garth nodded.

"Burn a Confederate soldier's bones in a town full of rednecks? Sure." Sam commented, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

~/~\~

The four hunters returned to the cemetery later that night and made their way into the tomb. They looked around, shining their flashlights throughout the tomb.

"Place doesn't look disturbed to me," Angela commented. "What's the police report say?"

"Uh, they think it was just some kids messing around," Garth replied. "They, uh—they found some beer cans, some graffiti. Oh, and the casket was open when they got here, but they closed that back up."

"Yeah, but not before Casper had a chance to make a run for it," Dean noted.

"So, what?" Sam asked. "If they never touched this, none of this would be happening?"

"Yeah, according to Bobby." Garth sighed.

Dean nodded. "Alright, well, let's get this party started."

Angela went to help Garth and Dean open the casket, but Dean was quick to stop her.

"No way, kid." He shook his head. "You're not lifting anything this heavy."

"Dean, I'm pregnant, not useless." Angela deadpanned.

"I know." Dean nodded. "Doesn't change the fact that you're not lifting it. Sammy, you want to give me a hand?"

Angela huffed and leaned against the wall as Sam walked over to help Dean and Garth. Sam shot Angela a small, apologetic smile.

"And… go," Dean instructed.

The three men pushed the heavy stone lid of the casket aside. Inside the casket was a skeleton in uniform, with a sword and gun.

"Whoa." Garth's eyes widened. "Check out this hardware! Do you guys know how much this is worth?"

"Yeah, but why open it up if you're not gonna take anything?" Angela countered, walking over to stand next to Sam.

"I don't know." Sam sighed. "Maybe the cops showed up and they had to split fast."

Garth's brows furrowed. "You sure this will work, even on a specter?"

"It's a ghost, isn't it?" Dean retorted. "You burn its bones, the ghost disappears."

Sam poured lighter fluid over the skeleton and Dean prepared to set it alight.

"Alright."

"Alright. Alright. Alright. Uh, I kind of feel like we should say something, alright?" Garth suggested. "Don't you? Just… a little…"

Dean looked at Sam and Angela. "Sure. We won." Dean smirked as he lit the match and set the skeleton on fire.


	12. Southern Comfort Part 2

The crime scene investigator took pictures of the blood on the wall behind the Sheriff's desk.

"Alright. We're set." The man noted. "Let's go."

"Yeah." Another man agreed.

The two men pushed the stretcher away. Dean, Garth, Sam, and Angela stood around the Sheriff's bloodstained desk.

"Ten bones says Deputy Doug had an ax to grind with his boss," Dean noted.

"How can you be so sure?" Garth questioned.

Dean just pointed to the green goo that was on the Sheriff's tape dispenser.

"Ah, what the hell?" Garth groaned.

"Maybe we torched the wrong redneck." Dean sighed.

"Or maybe not." Angela countered. "Maybe an object was removed from the grave, something the specter's attaching itself to."

"Like Bobby's flask?" Dean asked.

"Um, I don't know, guys." Garth frowned. "You saw what I saw. Those kids didn't take anything."

"Or they did." Sam retorted.

"And the specter hitched a ride with it." Dean nodded.

"And whoever has the object gets possessed," Sam added.

"Okay." Garth nodded. "So, who's got the object, and, more importantly, who do they got a grudge against?"

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Garth, and Angela were in the holding cell with Deputy Wallace.

"Alright," Angela started. "We need you to focus, Deputy. Other lives depend on it. Tell me what happened after you shot the Sheriff."

"I was on the ground." Deputy Walla recalled. "I think Karl tackled me, and I asked what happened."

"And?" Dean questioned.

"He didn't answer me. He just took my gun and walked away."

"Did he say where he was going?" Dean pressed.

Deputy Wallace shrugged. "I guess… I must have hurt him, too. He said he was going to the hospital."

The four hunters looked at each other, then left the cell quickly.

"You three find out what you can about the unknown soldier. I got the hospital." Dean instructed.

~/~\~

Garth, Sam, and Angela got out of Garth's vehicle and walked towards the library.

"Hey, uh, guys." Garth started. "If you ever need to talk, I just want to let you know that I'm here. About anything—you know, life, uh, Dean, you."

"I'm okay. Thanks." Sam replied.

"I mean, it just seems like you guys are talking but nobody's listening to each other. I had this cousin once—well, he's gone now—but his name was Frank." Garth rambled. "Frank and I used to build…" he trailed off as he walked into the library.

Angela nudged Sam, who was just standing on the steps outside. "Babe, you're zoning out. Come on."

~/~\~

Dean got out of the Impala, which was parked behind the Sheriff's truck. Dean glanced in the open window of the truck and walked on.

~/~\~

A librarian was leading Sam, Angela, and Garth through the library.

"You do know there is a good reason he's called the _unknown_ soldier, right?" she raised her brows.

"Right." Angela nodded. "Uh, we were just hoping maybe a theory or two had been floated around over the years—something local, maybe?"

The librarian nodded. "There is one." She took a book from the shelf.

~/~\~

Deputy Karl attempted to shoot the man that was cowering against the counter, but the gun didn't fire.

"Looks like you're shooting blanks," Dean commented from behind Karl.

Karl turned to face Dean, and Dean grabbed the rifle before punching Karl in the face.

"Hey, that tickled," Karl smirked.

Karl punched Dean, who fell heavily to the floor. He grabbed Dean and pulled him to his feet again.

~/~\~

"Corporal Collins of the Union shot and killed his brother, Vance, who fought for the Confederacy. Local boys." The librarian explained, pointing at a picture of Vance.

Sam's brows furrowed. "Wait, so two brothers fought on opposite sides of the Civil War?"

"Legend had it that Vance swore vengeance on his brother with his dying breath. Years later—consumed by guilt, no doubt—the corporal dug his brother up where he'd buried him on the battlefield and brought him home."

"Are you suggesting this Vance guy is the unknown soldier?" Garth asked curiously.

"That's one theory, anyway." The librarian nodded.

"What's that?" Sam pointed to the photo of Vance.

~/~\~

Karl was holding Dean tightly by the throat.

"Karl, listen, I know the specter's turning the temperature up in there." Dean managed to get out. "So, just tell me what the object is, and we'll send this joker home."

"I don't think so," Karl smirked. "There's unfinished business, thanks to you." He added, sniffing Dean. "Oh, the specter likes you."

"Oh yeah?" Dean raised his brows. "Why don't you tell him to come on out here and we'll make promise bracelets."

Karl flung Dean onto and over a desk.

~/~\~

"Most of the soldiers were poor farmers, so…" the librarian turned to another page in the book. "The families would give them a penny on a string. It was for good luck, and in case they ever got lost, they always had a penny for food or drink."

"A penny," Sam muttered.

~/~\~

Karl held up a penny with a hole drilled through it. "Here. Have a taste." He smirked, pressing the penny into Dean's palm.

~/~\~

Sam, Garth, and Angela left the library. Sam was on the phone.

 _"It's me. Do what you gotta."_ Dean's voicemail recited.

"Dean, hey," Sam started. "There was a string on the floor of the tomb. It used to hold an old penny. That's the object. We're coming right now."

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, and Garth walked into the motel room. Sam had his phone to his ear.

"Dean?" Sam's brows furrowed. "What the hell, man? We went to the hospital." He explained. Dean was sitting on a bed, his ringing phone next to him. "You're not answering your phone."

Dean had black goo running from his right ear. He stood up and pointed a gun at Sam and Angela. "You should have looked for me when I was in Purgatory." He snarled.

~/~\~

Dean was pointing his gun at Sam and Angela.

"Come on, Dean." Angela pleaded. "We know it's not you in there pulling the strings."

"Shut up!" Dean roared. He turned to Garth, who made a made towards his belt for a weapon. "Don't!" he snarled before turning to Sam. "You never wanted this life. Always blamed me for pulling you back in it."

"That's not true," Sam assured.

"Really?" Dean glared. "'Cause _everything_ you've ever done since you climbed into my ride has been to deceive me."

"What do you want me to say? That I've made mistakes?" Sam raised his brows. "I've made mistakes, Dean!"

"That's not Dean, Sam." Garth cut in.

"Shut up!" Dean yelled. "Mistakes? Well, let's go through some of Sammy's greatest hits. Drinking demon blood, check. Being in cahoots with Ruby." He glared. "Not telling me that you lost your soul. Or how about running around with Samuel for a whole year, letting me think that you were dead while you're doing all kinds of crazy! Those aren't mistakes, Sam. Those are choices!"

"Alright. You said it." Sam agreed. "We've both played a little fast and loose."

"Yeah, I might have lied, but I never betrayed you. I _never_ once left you or Angie to die!" Dean yelled. "And for what, some apple pie life? You left me for an apple pie life?"

Sam put a hand on the gun and punched Dean. He pushed Dean into a glass pane, which shattered, and punched Dean twice more. Dean backhanded Sam, headbutted him, then kicked him across the room. Sam fell to the floor, then pulled himself up to lean against a sofa.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Garth exclaimed, getting between Sam and Dean.

Angela took this as an opportunity to run over to Sam. She knelt down next to him. "You okay, baby?" She asked.

Sam nodded and looked up at Garth. "Garth, don't."

"No, he won't kill me. His beef isn't with me." Garth replied. "You're not gonna shoot me, are you, Dean?"

Dean pointed the gun at Garth. "Move."

"Come on, Dean. You do not want to kill your brother and sister-in-law." Garth stressed. "You've been protecting Sam your whole life, and you've been protecting Angie since you met her. Don't stop now."

"They left me to rot in Purgatory!" Dean roared.

"Alright. Alright. Maybe they did." Garth shrugged. "I don't know. I wasn't there. But I'm sure they had their reasons."

"Just like you had your reasons for Benny." Sam reminded.

Garth's brows furrowed. "Who?"

Angela shifted uncomfortably, feeling an unfamiliar pain in her abdomen.

"Benny has been more family to me in the past year than you two have ever been!" Dean yelled. "That's right. Cas let me down. Angie let me down. You let me down. The only person that hasn't let me down is Benny."

"I know you're angry," Garth noted. "But, man, you got to fight this thing. Do not do this! Just let it go. Come on, Dean."

Dean narrowed his eyes. "Goodbye, Sam, Angie."

Dean attempted to push past Garth, but Garth punched Dean. The penny dropped from Dean's hand.

Garth shook the hand he used to punch Dean. "Ow! God!" he groaned as he picked up the penny.

"Garth, don't!" Angela exclaimed. She squeezed her eyes shut, the pain in her abdomen worsening. "Oh, God." She groaned.

"It's cool. It's all good. I'm cool." Garth assured.

Sam's brows furrowed, and he looked down at Angela. "Baby, are you okay?"

"I don't know," Angela muttered. "Ow. Something's wrong." She whimpered.

The three men looked at Angela in concern.

"Kid, are you okay?" Dean frowned.

Angela took a deep breath. "I don't know what's going on." She shook her head.

"It could be stress," Garth suggested. "I mean, you did just try to shoot her and Sam." He glanced at Dean. "You two need to go outside, _now."_ He told the brothers.

~/~\~

Garth walked to his vehicle, carrying a bag. Dean followed him.

"It took me forever to melt that penny, but it's finally gone," Garth confirmed.

Dean nodded, but still looked confused. "How come that penny didn't jack you like anyone else? I mean, I can understand why it didn't affect the kid who took it. He's young and innocent. But, uh, everyone at some point in their life feels like they've been screwed."

Garth shook his head. "Not me, man. I let all that stuff go with the help of my yogi, my Sega Genesis. And you should, too. You can't change the past, amigo." He replied. "Now, there's something I want to say to you. Stop being an idjit! You and Sam need to figure out whatever problem you have that's going on. Angie had minor stress pains, but it could get a lot worse if the stress continues to occur." He explained. "Now, you know what's coming next, right?" Garth spread his arms slightly. "Come on."

Dean looked away. "Oh…"

"Come on." Garth smiled.

"Yeah, okay." Dean nodded as Garth hugged him. "Hey, uh…" Dean took Bobby's hat out of his back pocket and put it on Garth's head. "Keep on truckin', Garth."

"Thanks." Garth smiled as one of his cell phones started to play M.C. Hammer's _'U Can't Touch This'._ "Oh, got to go." He got in his car. "Yo, Lamar." He answered. "What do we got? Wendigo? You got a flare gun? No? What about a flame thrower?" he questioned. Garth laughed. "Then you'd better get some sneakers, buddy, 'cause you're gonna have to run. Alright."

Garth hung up and tried to unsuccessfully to start his vehicle. He slammed a hand on the steering wheel.

"Balls!" he yelled.

Garth tried again to start his vehicle, this time with success. He gave Dean a thumbs-up and drove away.

~/~\~

Sam was wiping his face with water at the sink. Angela ran her hand through his hair gently.

"You okay, Sammy?" she asked.

Sam nodded and looked at her. "What about you? How are you doing?"

Angela rested a hand on her stomach. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just minor stress pains."

Sam sighed deeply. "I'm sorry, baby." He whispered, pulling her close.

Angela hugged Sam tightly. "I know. We just need to figure all this crap out."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the bathroom door.

"Sammy! Angie!" Dean yelled from outside the bathroom.

~/~\~

Sam closed the trunk of the Impala. Dean walked up to the couple, hands in his pockets.

"Look, guys, I don't even remember what I said, but, uh—

"But what?" Sam interrupted. "But you didn't mean it? Oh, please." He scoffed. "We all know you didn't need that penny to say those things."

"Come on, Sam." Dean sighed.

"Own up to your crap, Dean." Sam snapped. "Angie and I told you from the jump where we were coming from, why we didn't look for you. But you? You had secrets. You had Benny. And you got on your high and mighty, and you've been kicking us ever since you got back. But, that's over. So, move on, or we will. These arguments are stressing Angela out, which isn't good for the baby. So, I'm done arguing. I'm not letting Angie, or my baby, get hurt."

Dean nodded in agreement. "Okay. I hear you." He agreed before looking at Angela. "I'm sorry, kid."

Angela just smiled softly and nodded, acknowledging the apology. "Good." She replied.

"You know what?" Sam narrowed his eyes at Dean. "Hear this, too. I just might be that hunter that runs into Benny one day and ices him."

Dean pursed his lips. "I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, won't we?"

"Yeah." Sam scoffed. "Yeah. You keep saying that." Sam opened the back door for Angela and got in after her. "Get some rest, baby." He murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead.


	13. A Little Slice of Kevin Part 1

The Impala sped down the forest road. Dean was driving while eating a bag of chips. Dean noticed a man wearing a trench coat walking on the side of the road. When Dean got a closer look at the man, he noticed that it was Castiel. Dean slammed on the breaks and reversed down the road. He frowned when there was no sign of Castiel.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were at the kitchen table using the laptop when Dean walked in. Sam was drinking a beer while Angela was drinking water.

"Hey." The couple greeted simultaneously.

"Hey," Dean replied, standing in the middle of the room holding a six-pack and a paper bag.

Angela turned to look at Dean. "You look like you've s—well, I was gonna say, 'You look like you've seen a ghost,' but you'd probably be stoked." She commented. "Uh, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm cool," Dean replied somewhat uncertainly. "What's up?"

"Well, this kid went missing from a preschool," Sam noted.

"That sucks. And?" Dean raised his brows.

"And at the same time he vanished, a surprise tornado hit, lasted maybe 20 seconds, then, uh… shazam!" Sam explained. "Back to perfect weather."

"Hmm. And they pooh-pooh climate change." Dean retorted.

"Yeah." Sam chuckled as Dean put the beer in the fridge.

"Well, similar wackiness has happened over the past few weeks in other places, uh, Tulsa, a bus driver vanished and a river gets overrun with frogs," Angela explained. "New Mexico—a mailman disappears, the Earth splits open."

"Alright." Dean nodded. "So, uh, you guys thinking demons?"

"Yeah, possibly," Angela sighed. "But… I mean, this stuff was major. These folks have nothing in common—no religious affiliations, different hometowns, all ages. Why would demons want them?"

"Why do demons want anything?" Dean retorted. "Uh, so, we on this?"

"Yep." Sam nodded.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela, in their FBI apparel, walked up the steps to the front door. Angela knocked on the door. Mrs. Hagar appeared in the entryway. Angela held up her FBI badge so she could see it through the glass panel in the door. Mrs. Hagar opened the door but didn't undo the chain.

"Mrs. Hagar?" Dean asked. "Agents Roth, Malloy, and Cherone. We want to speak to you about Aaron Webber's abduction."

Mrs. Hagar sighed. "Like I told the police, one minute I was taking Aaron to get cleaned up, and the next minute… I woke up in a park three blocks away."

"And you have no memory of what happened?" Angela questioned.

"No. He was just gone." Mrs. Hagar confirmed.

"Can you think of any reason why somebody would want to harm him? Um, any enemies?" Dean inquired.

Mrs. Hagar raised her brows. "Enemies? He's five."

Sam held his phone up to his ear. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus…" he spoke quietly.

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Hagar frowned.

"It's, uh, code for your own safety so that you can't reveal anything under enhanced interrogation." Dean covered. "Now, when you woke up on the floor, were there any signs of struggle?"

"No." Mrs. Hagar shook her head.

"Smell like sulfur?" Angela asked curiously.

Mrs. Hagar looked surprised at the question. "How did you know that?"

"Lucky guess. Thanks for your time." Angela replied.

Mrs. Hagar closed the door, and the three hunters walked down the steps.

"No reaction to the exorcism," Dean noted.

"Yeah, not possessed at the moment." Sam agreed. "But, I'm willing to bet a demon got ahold of Aaron Webber."

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were asleep in their bed, Sam spooning Angela from behind. Dean was sitting on the other bed reading articles about the missing persons on the laptop. Lightning flashed. Dean looked up to see Castiel standing at the window.

~/~\~

Dean closed his laptop and walked to the window, frowning when he saw the no one was there. Angela woke up at the sudden noise and sat up.

"Dean? What's going on? Are you alright?" she asked sleepily.

"I don't know. I just saw something." Dean admitted.

"Uh, you saw what?" Angela asked, standing up and walking over to Dean.

Sam blinked his eyes open at the sudden shift in the bed. "Babe?"

"Over here," Angela whispered before looking up at Dean. "Dean, what did you see?"

"Cas." Dean breathed. "I saw Cas."

Sam got up, rubbing the sleepiness from his eyes. He walked over to stand next to Angela and looked at Dean in confusion. "Cas? Where?"

"Right there." Dean gestured to the window. "And—and—and earlier, on the road. I feel like I'm seeing him."

"That's… not possible. I mean, you said it yourself." Sam reminded. "You made it out and he didn't, right?"

Dean shook his head. "I tried so damn hard to get us the hell out of there." He muttered, turning away from the window and walking a few steps away.

"We know you did," Angela assured.

Dean pursed his lips. "You know, I could have pulled him out. I just don't understand why he didn't try harder."

"Dean," Sam sighed. "You did everything you could."

Dean turned to face the couple. "Yeah, but why do I feel like crap?"

"Survivor's guilt?" Sam suggested.

"Hmm."

"If you let it, this is gonna keep messing with you. You got to walk past it." Angela commented, squeezing Dean's shoulder gently before walking to the bathroom. "Get some sleep, boys."

~/~\~

_Benny, Dean, and Castiel were walking through the forest._

_"We're getting close," Benny assured._

_"Really?" Dean scoffed. "I don't see crap. I mean, what the hell is this escape hatch supposed to look like?"_

_"He doesn't know." Castiel cut in._

_"Hey, you just drug me into the fire. Please tell me you know." Dean looked at Benny._

_"It's here. They promised." Benny assured._

_"Oh, they?" Dean raised his brows. "Well, that's comforting."_

_"Well, even if it does exist…"_

_"Broken record, Cas." Benny rolled his eyes._

_"Dean, it's human portal," Castiel noted quietly. "There's still no proof that an angel can pass—_

_"Stow it, Cas." Dean interrupted. "You're coming. That's final."_

_"I'm just saying…" Castiel put a hand on Dean's shoulder. "If it doesn't work… thank you for everything."_

_"Save the Hallmark. Okay? It's gonna work. Nobody gets left behind."_

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were using the laptop at the kitchen table.

"Hey, so, it's not just Americans who are vanishing," Angela commented. "Uh, this guy, Luigi Ponzi disappeared walking between two subway cars in Rome. And right above ground, there was a freak hail storm."

Dean was washing his face in the bathroom. "So, we going to Rome? Wouldn't be too shabby."

Suddenly, Castiel appeared in the mirror in the bathroom. Dean immediately straightened up and turned to face Castiel.

"Hello, Dean." Castiel greeted.

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, and Castiel were now sitting at the table while Dean leaned on the kitchenette counter.

"Unbelievable, man." Sam smiled. "I-I cannot believe it. You're actually here."

"Yeah, I've been trying to reach out, but for whatever reason, I wasn't at full power. So, I couldn't connect with you." Castiel explained.

"That must be why you kept seeing him." Angela looked up at Dean. "I mean, you think?"

"Yeah," Dean muttered. "Yeah, uh, I got to be honest. I-I-I'm thinking, how the hell did you make it out? I mean, I—I was there. I-I-I know that place. I know how we had to scratch and claw and kill and bleed to find that portal and make it through, and it almost finished me." Dean explained. "So, uh… so how exactly are you sitting here with us right now?"

"Dean, everything you just said is completely true." Castiel agreed. "And that's the strange part. I… have no idea. I remember endlessly running and hiding from Leviathan, and then I was on the side of the road in Illinois. And… that was it."

Dean's brows furrowed. "And that—that was it?"

"Yes." Castiel nodded. There was a long pause between everyone before Castiel spoke again. "Oh." He looked down at his clothes. "I'm dirty."

"Yeah, well, Purgatory will do that to you," Dean muttered.

Castiel got up and walked towards the bathroom. Dean stared after him, confusion evident on his face.

~/~\~

_"Maybe you were lied to," Castiel commented. "Maybe there is no seam."_

_"I lie. I don't get lied to." Benny retorted. "Aren't you guys all about faith?"_

_"Not particularly," Castiel admitted._

_The three men watched a leaf, which seemed to be borne upwards by an air current. At the top of a cliff far above them, a patch of blue light shimmered and changed shape._

_"Oh, ye of frigging little faith," Benny smirked._

_Dean stared with wide eyes. "What the hell?"_

_"There it is." Castiel turned to Dean. "It's reacting to you."_

_Benny nodded to Dean. "Alright. Ready?"_

_"Just like we talked about." Dean nodded as he cut his forearm with a large knife._

_"Putting a lot of trust in you, brother." Benny reminded._

_"You earned it," Dean assured. He cut Benny's left forearm and they gripped each other's arms, solidifying the blood pact._

_"I'll see you on the other side," Benny smirked._

_Dean nodded. "Conjunti sumus, unum sumus." He chanted._

_Benny looked upwards as his body stiffened. His left hand, which gripped Dean's arm, glowed with red and white light. Benny then appeared to be consumed by red and white light that flowed into Dean's arm. Dean grimaced in pain._

_"Let's go." He looked at Castiel._

~/~\~

_Dean and Castiel hurried along the top of a cliff and upwards through the forest._

_"Dean, wait!"_

_Something hit the ground in clouds of black smoke in front of them. As the smoke cleared, two balls of black goo morphed into Leviathans._

~/~\~

"Dean?" Angela asked, snapping him from his trance.

"Huh?" Dean asked quietly.

"You alright?" Angela asked softly.

Dean sat down on the chair that Castiel had previously occupied. "You do see something _severely_ wrong here, right?" he questioned. "Guys, I remember every second of leaving that place. I mean, I remember the—the heat, the stink, the pain, the fear. I have that whole ugly mess…" he tapped his head. "Right here, and he says he has no idea how he got out? I—I'm just not buying it."

"So, what, you think he's lying?" Sam frowned.

"I'm saying something else happened," Dean replied. "I saw the shape that he was in. I mean, there was no way he was fighting his ass out alone. No way."

"Alright." Angela sighed. "So, who… or what got him out?"

"Exactly," Dean muttered.

Castiel walked out of the bathroom. He was now wearing his usual suit and tie under his trench coat, which was now clean. His face was also freshly shaved. "Better." He smiled.

"Looking good, Cas." Angela smiled back.

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, and Castiel stayed back in the motel room while Dean went out to get more beer. Sam sat at the table using his laptop, while Angela and Castiel sat next to each other on the edge of one of the beds. The TV was playing in the background.

Castiel rested a hand on Angela's stomach for a few moments. "I didn't quite expect you and Sam to conceive so soon…" he admitted.

Angela chuckled. "Well, neither did we, to be honest. So, what's the deal, is our baby happy and healthy?"

"She is very healthy," Castiel assured, a small smile on his face.

Angela's eyes widened, and Sam immediately walked over.

"What did you just say?" Sam's brows furrowed.

Castiel frowned in confusion. "Your baby, she is extremely healthy." He repeated, pulling his hand away from Angela's stomach. "I thought that would be good news."

"She?" Angela breathed.

"I thought it was customary to know the gender by now…" Castiel tilted his head slightly in confusion.

"Sam and I were gonna have it be a surprise, but… Holy crap!" Angela grinned. She looked up at Sam, happy tears in her eyes. "We're having a baby girl, Sammy."

Sam cupped Angela's face in his hands and leaned down to kiss her deeply. Angela wrapped her arms around Sam's neck as she closed her eyes. After a few moments, Sam pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, a huge smile on his face.

"We're going to have a daughter." His voice cracked ever so slightly. "And I hope she looks just like you."

Castiel smiled softly at the couple, not quite realizing how much they needed this happy news. With all the fighting going on between the three hunters, it was nice to feel truly happy.


	14. A Little Slice of Kevin Part 2

Castiel was watching television while Sam and Angela used the laptop at the table. Angela sat on Sam's lap as Sam rubbed circles on Angela's stomach. Suddenly, Dean walked into the room carrying a six-pack of beer.

"What's the latest?" Dean questioned.

"We're having a baby girl!" Angela smiled excitedly.

Dean's brows furrowed slightly. "I meant the whole demon thing… wait, I thought you and Sam wanted it to be a surprise?"

"Cas accidentally told us," Angela replied. "As for the whole demon thing… the latest is, well, nothing."

"It's like it all stopped." Sam agreed. "No freak disappearances linked to any freak natural events."

Dean set a beer down on the table for Sam and leaned over to peer at the laptop. "So, how many have we got, seven?"

"Yeah, uh, Luigi, Justin, Aaron, Maria—

"Maria, Dennis, Krista, Sven." Castiel finished, causing the three hunters to look at him in confusion. "I missed television."

"Wait, Cas." Angela frowned. "How did you know those are the names?"

"Well, they're prophets," Castiel replied obviously.

Dean's brows shot up. "Prophets?"

"Yeah, angels instinctively know the names of every prophet—past, present, and future," Castiel explained.

"So, this list is the name of every one of 'em that exists?" Dean questioned.

"Yes, until the next generation is born," Castiel confirmed. "Plus Kevin Tran, of course. The other seven are future prophets, since, uh, only one can exist at a time."

"Uh, how is Kevin a prophet if Chuck is a prophet?" Sam asked, confused.

Castiel sighed deeply. "I'm not sure what happened to Chuck, but, um… he must be dead."

"So, the next one comes off the bench if Kevin goes down?" Dean inquired.

"Exactly." Castiel nodded. "And they have no idea who they are, of course."

Angela frowned in realization. "Crowley."

"Insurance." Dean nodded. "Boy, he's getting desperate."

"Explains all the weird phenomena." Sam sighed. "Lower-level demons nabbing heavy-duty cargo. The vessels of God's Word—boom."

Castiel squinted slightly. "I get the feeling something's going on."

Sam was about to reply when his phone started ringing. "Hello." He answered. "Mrs. Tran? Well, where the hell have you… What?" he frowned. Sam pulled the phone away from his ear. "Crowley's got Kevin."

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, Angela, and Castiel were sitting in the Impala, which was parked by the side of the road.

"Where the hell is she?" Dean asked impatiently.

"She'll be here," Sam assured. "Uh, mile marker 96 was kind of the halfway point."

Dean sighed deeply, zoning out slightly.

~/~\~

_The portal shimmered with moving blue light. Dean swung at the first Leviathan, who ducked and hurled himself to the ground. Dean rolled downhill. Castiel attempted to put a hand on the Leviathan's head, but the second one kicked the back of Castiel's legs and punched him as he fell to his knees. The Leviathans continued to punch and kick Castiel, who fell heavily to the ground. The second Leviathan dragged Castiel to his feet, and Castiel hit her, sending her reeling backward. The first Leviathan grabbed Castiel and his mouth transformed. Dean appeared behind the Leviathan and decapitated him. Castiel pushed the second Leviathan forward and Dean decapitated her as well. Dean pulled Castiel to his feet._

_"We got to move! The portal's closing!" Dean yelled. They started to climb upwards and Castiel stumbled slightly. "Cas! Dammit! Come on!" Dean reached the portal and stepped into it. He stretched out a hand to Castiel. "Come on!"_

_Castiel grabbed Dean's hand._

_"I got you! Hold on!" Dean yelled._

_"Dean!"_

_"Hold on!"_

_Castiel lost his grip on Dean's hand and slid down the hill. "Dean!" he yelled as the portal closed, taking Dean with it._

~/~\~

Dean swallowed heavily. "Cas, can I talk to you outside?"

Dean and Castiel got out of the Impala and walked about a foot away from the Impala.

"What?" Castiel frowned.

"Exactly. What?" Dean retorted. "What the hell happened? Back there. Purgatory. I told you I would get you out. We were there! It was like you just gave up. It's like you didn't believe we could do it. I mean, you kept saying that you didn't think it would work. Did you not trust me?"

"Dean…"

"I did everything I could to get you out—everything!" he continued. "I did _not_ leave you."

Castiel's brows furrowed. "So, you think this was your fault?"

Before Dean could respond, a car drove up next to them. Sam and Angela got out of the Impala. Mrs. Tran parked and got out of her car quickly.

"You can do this, can't you? You can get him back?" she asked frantically.

"How did Crowley find you?" Dean questioned.

"Oh, I hired a witch, and she ratted us out." Mrs. Tran rolled her eyes.

"A witch? Why'd you hire a witch?" Angela asked.

"To make demon bombs, of course!" Mrs. Tran replied obviously. "These are Kevin's notes." She handed Angela a notebook.

"You have any idea where Crowley took him?" Dean questioned.

"No. But, uh…" Mrs. Tran unlocked the trunk. "This guy might."

Inside the trunk was a demon bound by a devil's trap on the roof of the trunk.

"Oh." Dean took out the demon-killing knife. "Let's talk."

~/~\~

_Atlantic, Iowa_

The Impala and Mrs. Tran's car drove along the fence outside the factory. Dean and Castiel were in the Impala while Sam, Mrs. Tran, and Angela were in the other car. As Mrs. Tran went to get out of the car, Sam handcuffed her to the steering wheel.

"Sorry, Mrs. Tran." Sam apologized.

"Wait!" she protested. "What?!"

Dean opened the trunk of Mrs. Tran's car. "This it?" he asked the demon.

"Yes."

"My son is in there!" Mrs. Tran argued.

"Which means Crowley has leverage," Angela replied. "He doesn't need another hostage."

Dean stabbed the demon with the demon-killing knife as Sam and Angela got out of Mrs. Tran's car.

"Oh, come on!" The older woman groaned.

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, Angela, and Castiel walked downstairs and under pipes. At a sign from Dean, they stepped out of sight as a demon approached. Dean stabbed the demon in the back.

"Alright. Angie and I will check that way." Sam said.

Sam and Angela went to the left. Dean nodded to Castiel and they went to the right.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela walked down a flight of stairs. They both noticed four demons in a room below them. The couple walked inside the factory, and the four demons blocked their way.

"Winchesters." One of the demons smirked.

"Looks like you guys got us." Angela sighed.

As the demons approached them, Sam stepped to stand in front of Angela protectively, and he took out a bottle and threw it at the demons' feet. Sam and Angela covered their faces as bright light flared as the demons burned up and disappeared.

~/~\~

Dean and Castiel were walking through the factory.

"We're very near Kevin," Castiel noted.

~/~\~

Sam kicked a door open. He and Angela entered the room and saw the bloodstained table.

"Oh, no." Sam sighed heavily.

The future prophets surfaced from underneath the table.

"Hey," Angela held up her hands. "Um… We're here to help."

~/~\~

Castiel and Dean walked through the factory. Dean turned to find a demon behind him, and he prepared to strike the demon with his knife, but the demon sent him flying into chains that hung from the ceiling. Castiel took a couple of steps backward as the demon approached before placing a hand on his head and smiting him. Yellow light flowed from the demon's eyes and mouth before he dropped to the ground. Castiel steadied himself as Dean picked himself up and put a hand on Castiel's shoulder.

"What the hell's going on? You're not all the way back, are you?" Dean questioned.

~/~\~

Dean was attempting to pick a lock. "It's not working." He grunted.

"Dean, I'm going in," Castiel replied.

Dean frowned. "Cas, no. You're not strong enough."

~/~\~

Dean managed to burst into the room moments after Castiel shattered the tablet and practically destroyed the room. Crowley was nowhere in sight. Dean went to Castiel, who was lying on the floor. Kevin picked up the remaining half of the stone tablet.

~/~\~

Mrs. Tran was wiping the blood from Kevin's face.

"Cops are on their way." Sam sighed. "They're gonna pick up the prophets. Um, they'll all be heading home."

"What about us?" Mrs. Tran asked.

"I called a friend of ours, Garth. He does what we do." Sam explained. "Well… in his own way. He'll keep an eye on you guys. No more going off on your own." He added, earning an eye roll from Mrs. Tran.

"You get that it was hiring that witch that got you into all this, right?" Angela asked before turning to Kevin. "How you holding up, Kev?"

"You kidding?" he scoffed. "I want to seal those bastards up forever." He held up his bandaged hand. "Took my finger."

"Cas thinks he might be able to fix that," Sam assured. "In the meantime, just lay low till we get back to you, okay?"

~/~\~

Castiel stood next to Dean, who was putting things in the trunk of the Impala.

"That was a bonehead move back there," Dean commented. "You could have gotten yourself killed. Why didn't you wait for me?"

"Well, I didn't get killed. And it worked." Castiel retorted.

"And if it didn't?"

"It would have been my problem," Castiel assured.

Dean shook his head. "Well, that's not the way I see it."

"Hey, everything isn't your responsibility," Castiel stressed. "Getting me out of Purgatory wasn't your responsibility."

"You didn't get out. So, whose fault was it?" Dean raised his brows.

Castiel squinted. "It's not about fault. It's about will. Dean, do you really not remember?"

Dean laughed humorlessly. "I lived it, Cas. Okay, I know what happened."

"No." Castiel shook his head. "No, you think you know. You remembered it the way you needed to."

"Look, I don't need to feel like hell for failing you, okay?" Dean snapped. "For failing you like I've failed every other godforsaken thing that I care about! I don't need it!"

"Dean." Castiel sighed. "Just look at it. Really look at it." He touched Dean's forehead.

~/~\~

_Dean and Castiel ran uphill towards the portal. Castiel stumbled._

_"Cas! Dammit! Come on!" Dean yelled as he reached the portal and stepped into it. He stretched out a hand to Castiel. "Come on!" he stressed as Castiel took his hand. "I got you! Hold on!"_

_"Dean!"_

_"Hold on!"_

_"Dean!" Castiel yelled, breaking his grip. "Go!"_

_The portal closed, taking Dean with it._

~/~\~

Castiel removed his fingers from Dean's forehead. "See, it wasn't that I was weak. I was stronger than you. I pulled away. Nothing you could have done would have saved me, because I didn't want to be saved."

Dean frowned in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's where I belonged. I needed to do penance. After the things I did on Earth and in Heaven, I didn't deserve to be out." Castiel explained. "And I saw that clearly when I was there. I… I planned to stay all along. I just didn't know how to tell you. You can't save everyone, my friend… though, you try."

Sam and Angela walked up to Dean and Castiel, hand-in-hand.

"Hey. Everything okay?" Angela asked.

"Yeah." Castiel nodded, still looking at Dean. "Just, uh… setting a few things straight."

"Good. Garth is gonna lay low with the Trans…" Sam trailed off as Castiel started to zone out. "We're gonna try and track down the other piece."

"You're with us on this one, right, Cas?" Angela asked as he snapped out of his trance. "Cas, you okay?"

"I'm—I'm fine," Castiel replied, a small frown on his face. "And, yes, I'm with you—if that's alright."

Dean nodded. Castiel walked away.

"It is, right? You two are good?" Sam asked Dean.

Dean looked at the ground. "Yeah." He muttered unconvincingly.


	15. Hunter Heroici Part 1

Sam was talking on the phone while gassing up the Impala. Castiel was leaning against the front of the car reading a newspaper.

"Right, yeah," Sam commented. "No, just—just call us whenever you find something." He instructed as Dean and Angela walked out of the store. "Yeah. Yeah, 'course." He assured as Dean removed the tops from two beer bottles. "No, I—I, uh… Yeah, hey, you know what? Uh, Dean's here. He really wants to talk to you." Sam handed the phone to Dean and took one of the beers.

Angela walked over to stand next to Sam, who wrapped his arm around her waist. Angela was eating a chocolate bar she bought.

"Is that dark chocolate? You never eat dark chocolate." Sam noted, brows furrowed.

Angela shrugged. "My cravings have been getting weirder and weirder since I hit the 6-month mark."

"Mrs. Tran," Dean sighed. "Yeah, hi, uh…" he hung up and tossed the phone back to Sam. "Tunnel. What's going on in Tran-land?"

"Well, uh, Garth finally got them to his houseboat," Sam explained. "But, Kevin's having a lot of trouble reading their half of the tablet. So far, bits and pieces. Nothing about boarding up Hell."

Angela looked up at her husband in confusion. "Garth has a safe-houseboat?"

Sam chuckled. "Babe, I don't even ask questions anymore."

Sam pulled away from Angela and took the gas pump out of the Impala. Dean walked over to Castiel.

"What's the word, Cas?"

"It's a shortened version of my name," he replied, not looking up from the newspaper.

Dean frowned. "Yes, it is. I meant what's the word on the Word? Any, uh, tablet chatter on angel radio?"

"Oh, I couldn't say. I turned that off."

Angela's brows furrowed curiously. "You can do that?"

Castiel rolled up the newspaper and pushed himself off of the Impala. "Yeah, it's a simple matter of blocking out certain subsonic frequencies. I could draw you a diagram if you want."

"No, that—we're good," Dean assured. "Why'd you flip the switch?"

"Because it's a direct link to Heaven. And I don't want anything to do with that place—not anymore."

"So, what now? Move to Vermont, open up a charming B&B?" Dean questioned.

"No. I still want—I still need to help people. So…" Castiel smiled. "I'm gonna become a hunter."

Sam scoffed slightly. "Really?"

"Yeah." Castiel nodded. "I even found a case. Oklahoma City—a man's heart jumped 10 feet out of his chest. It sounds like our kind of thing, right?"

"He's got a point," Angela noted.

"Excellent." Castiel rapped the car and turned away. "I'll see you there."

"Wait, Cas, Cas!" Dean stopped him. "If you want to play cowboys and blood-suckers, that's fine. But you're gonna stick with us, okay? None of this zapping around crap. Capiche?"

Castiel sighed. "Yeah, I capiche."

"Alright, then." Dean nodded as he walked to the driver's door.

"Can I, uh, at least ride in the front seat?" Castiel asked hopefully.

"No." the brothers replied simultaneously as Sam shouldered Castiel out of the way.

Angela rolled her eyes and looped her arm with Castiel's. "We can sit in the back together, Cas."

Castiel smiled softly at Angela and opened the door behind Sam.

~/~\~

_Oklahoma City, Oklahoma_

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Castiel were in the morgue with the Detective. A body covered with a sheet lied on the table.

"Coroner said his heart was ejected from his body. Got some air, too. Found it in a sandbox." She explained.

"Any idea what happened, Detective?" Angela asked curiously.

"A lot of people are thinking drugs, Agent Tyler—an assload of drugs." The Detective replied.

"There are no narcotics in that man's system. His molecules are all wrong." Castiel muttered to Dean.

"But you don't think that, huh?" Sam asked the Detective.

"Never seen an eightball do that." The Detective replied as she pulled back the sheet to reveal the cookie-cutter heart-shaped hole in Gary's chest.

"Wow." Sam's brows raised. "And who called this in?"

"Friend of his named Olivia Kopple. She saw the whole thing." The Detective sighed as she pulled the sheet back up. Her phone started to ring. "Oh." She looked at the caller ID. "Ah, crap. I have—I have to take this. Here's everything we got." She handed Angela a file. "Knock yourselves out."

"Thanks," Angela replied.

"Listen, you see anything weird, anything out of the box, you give us a call." Dean handed the Detective a car.

"Whatever you say, Scully." She chuckled before answering her phone. "Detective Glass. On my way."

Angela read the file as Detective Glass left the room.

"I can't sense any EMF or sulfur. Mr. Freling's arterial health is, uh, excellent." Castiel muttered. He leaned over the corpse and sniffed. "Mm. He did suffer from a…" he sniffed again. "Mild, uh…" he frowned slightly. "What is that? Bladder infection."

"Cas, stop smelling the dead guy." Dean deadpanned.

"Why?" Castiel argued. "Now I know everything about this man. So, we can—

"Do you know he was having an affair?" Angela interrupted.

"What?" Castiel's brows furrowed.

"Strike one, Sherlock," Dean smirked.

"According to Olivia, they would meet at the park every Thursday at 12:45, walk to the Moonlight diner, where she always ordered a Caesar salad, dressing on the side," Angela explained. "They would chat about everything, and she'd be back on the road by 1:30."

"You don't think she's telling the truth," Castiel noted.

"Too much detail. Sounds rehearsed." Dean replied.

"Plus, we drove past the Moonlight diner on the way into town," Sam added. "It's attached to the Moonlight motel."

"Okay, well, let's say that, uh, Gary here's on the prowl, but he's playing it safe because…" Dean lifted Gary's hand out from under the sheet and saw his wedding ring. "Dude's married. Doesn't want anyone to see his ride parked out in front of a by-the-hour fleabag."

"So, he stashes his car at the park across the street, meets Olivia there." Angela theorized.

"His wife probably found out about it, and broke it broke her heart," Dean added.

"So, she breaks his." Sam nodded. "Sounds witchy."

"Yes, it does." Dean agreed. "Guy was living a lie, and it came back to bite him in the ticker. But, nice job on the bladder infection."

Dean walked away, Castiel and Angela hot on his heels. Sam stayed put, deep in thought.

~/~\~

_"Sam, when can I take this blindfold off?" Angela asked impatiently._

_"Soon, I promise." He chuckled._

_Angela huffed. "You said that five minutes ago."_

_Sam stood behind Angela, guiding her so that she was standing directly in front of the house he rented for them. Angela was barely showing, only about a month and a half into her pregnancy._

_"I'm serious this time." Sam smiled. "Okay, one… two… three…" he counted, taking the blindfold off of Angela's face when he got to three._

_Angela's brows went up. "A house?"_

_"Not just a house," Sam replied. "It's our house." He grinned._

_Angela turned in his arms, her eyes wide with excitement. "Seriously?!"_

_"Yeah, seriously." Sam chuckled. "I got the confirmation yesterday that we got it. Now, all we need to do is decorate."_

_Angela grinned and pulled Sam down so that she could kiss him. "I love you so freakin' much." She murmured._

_Sam pulled her flush against his body, a smirk on his face. "Was it worth the wait?"_

_"Definitely." Angela nodded, pulling away from Sam slightly. She grabbed his hand, a seductive smirk forming on her face. "Now let's go christen every single room."_

~/~\~

Angela walked back into the morgue, her brows furrowed. "Sammy, you comin'?"

Sam shook himself from the memory. "Hm? Yeah, sorry babe."

~/~\~

"I—I don't understand." Mrs. Freling frowned. She was at the table, wearing all black. On the table was a box of Kleenex. "Gary had a heart attack. Why would the FBI—

"The parks are government property," Dean interjected. "We just got a few questions for you."

Castiel looked at the three hunters. "I'll, uh… I'll handle this. I've done research. I can crack her." He assured. Castiel leaned over next to Mrs. Freling. "Now, Ms. Freling, I don't want to bother you. I—I really don't. But, I—I do have just one question for you." He explained before slamming the table. "Why did you kill your husband?!"

"Agent Stills." Dean cut in immediately. "A word, please."

Mrs. Freling started sobbing as Castiel walked over to Dean.

"What? I was being bad cop." The angel explained.

"No, you were being bad _everything."_ Dean scoffed.

"Please, forgive my partner," Angela said gently as she sat at the table opposite Mrs. Freling. "He's, uh—he's going through some stuff."

"Listen to Angie," Sam told Castiel.

"What he was trying to ask—is—is there any way Gary might have had secrets—something he was hiding?" Angela asked.

Mrs. Freling's brows furrowed. "Hiding? Like what?"

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and someone let themselves in.

"Deb?" Olivia called out.

Olivia entered the room, carrying a casserole. Mrs. Freling walked towards her as Angela walked over to Sam, Dean, and Angela.

"Olivia." Mrs. Freling greeted.

"Hey," Olivia replied, hugging Mrs. Freling, both women crying at this point. "Are you okay?"

"As in _mistress_ Olivia?" Dean muttered to Castiel.

"This is awkward." The angel agreed.

Mrs. Freling wrapped an arm around Olivia and looked at the hunters. "I'm sorry. W-what did you think Gary was hiding?"

"That he was sleeping with her," Castiel replied bluntly, pointing to Olivia.

Mrs. Freling paused before letting out a sigh. "I know."

Sam's brows raised. "You know?"

"Gary and I—we… had an arrangement." She replied. "He was seeing Olivia, and I was spending some time with our neighbor PJ."

"I'll, uh—I'll put this in the kitchen." Olivia cut in awkwardly.

"I'll help." Mrs. Freling suggested.

"Yeah." Olivia smiled.

"Okay."

Mrs. Freling and Olivia quickly left the room.

"Frigging suburbs, man," Dean muttered.

Castiel squinted. "So, she's not a witch."

"Just the best wife ever." Dean retorted, causing Sam to chuckle.

"Then what killed her husband?" Castiel sighed.

"Who gives a damn?" Dean smirked.

~/~\~

Sam looked over the edge of the building to the street below, then walked over to Detective Glass, Angela, and Dean. Castiel stood some distance away.

"Looks like suicide," Sam commented.

"It was." Detective Glass confirmed. "Guy left a note. He invested everything in Roman Industries and lost it all when they crashed and burned."

"So, why call us?" Angela frowned.

"Because I have two witnesses who swear that Madoff here floated in mid-air for a good 10 seconds." Detective Glass replied. "Then he looked down, and splat. Not sure I buy that, but the way they're talking, it sounds like something straight out of a—

"Cartoon." Dean finished.

"Hey, Detective." A man called out.

"You said you wanted weird." She shrugged.

"Thanks." Dean nodded.

Detective Glass walked away and Castiel joined the three hunters.

"Yeah, what do you got?" Detective Glass asked, her voice more distant.

"She's right, you know." Dean sighed. "I mean, the whole heart jumping out of the guy's chest, the—the—the delayed fall—that's straight-up Bugs Bunny."

Castiel tilted his head. "So, we're looking for some sort of insect-rabbit hybrid? How do we kill it?"

Angela chuckled. "No, we don't, Cas. That's a character, like, uh… Wood Woodpecker or Daffy Duck."

"They're little-animated movies," Dean added. "You know, uh, the coyote chases a roadrunner, and then the," Dean laughed. "The anvil gets dropped on his head."

"Is it supposed to be funny?" Castiel inquired.

Dean frowned. "No. It's hilarious."

~/~\~

Castiel sat on the edge of a bed watching a cartoon on the television.

_"Stay tuned, kids! We'll be right back!"_

Castiel laughed and turned off the TV. Sam, Dean, and Angela were sitting at the table researching.

"I understand." Castiel smiled. "The bird represents God. And coyote is man, endlessly chasing the divine, yet never able to catch him." He explained, earning confused looks from the three hunters. "It's… It's hilarious."

Dean sighed and ran a hand over his face. "I got no idea what we're hunting. Maybe it's a Tulpa. Maybe it's some—some crazy god who watched too much Robot Chicken. I—I—I mean, is there a link between Heartbreak Hotel and Free Fallin'?"

"Not that we can find." Sam sighed.

"Alright, well, I'm gonna call it," Dean replied, closing the journal he was reading.

"Good idea." Angela agreed. "My back is starting to hurt."

Dean nodded and looked at Castiel. "Cas, you gonna book a room or what?"

"No, I'll stay here." The angel replied.

"Oh, okay. Yeah. We'll have a slumber party, braid Sam's hair." Dean sassed. "Where are you gonna sleep?"

"I don't sleep," Castiel replied obviously.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Okay, well, I need my four hours, so…"

"I'll watch over you," Castiel assured.

Dean shook his head. "That's not gonna happen."

Castiel stood up and put a hand to his temple. "Something's coming across the police band."

Angela's brows furrowed. "Wait, you can hear that?"

"It's all waves. A bank has been robbed." Castiel explained. "It sounds loony."

"Define 'loony'," Dean replied.

~/~\~

A 1-ton anvil stood in the middle of the bank. Underneath it was a bloody mass.

"That's loony, alright," Sam commented.

"Ugh, I'm gonna be sick," Angela muttered, covering her mouth with her hand.

Castiel inspected a card machine at the personal teller desk. Detective Glass walked over to Sam, Angela, and Dean.

"Agents." She greeted. "I was just about to give you a ring. Got to ask—do you guys chase the crazy, or does the crazy chase you?"

"Depends on the day." Sam retorted.

"Who's the pancake?" Dean asked.

"Security guard." Detective Glass replied. "He called in reporting a robbery, by the time we got here—

Angela folded her arms across her chest and raised her brows. "A robbery?"

"Looks like the 'Black Hole' was trying to jimmy open the safe-deposit box when Mr. Rent-A-Cop found him." Detective Glass explained. "And, well… you know how that story ends."

Castiel tilted his head. "Blackhole?"

"It's our name for a burglar that's been running us ragged." She clarified. "He's a pro—no fingerprints, never any sign of forced entry—just a pair of those every time." She gestured to one of the black circles on the wall. "Like he's signing his work. Perp's never done anything like this before, though… obviously."

"You mind if Agent Tyler and I take a look at your files on those other break-ins?" Sam asked, getting a grateful look from Angela.

"No skin off my nose." Detective Glass shrugged. "I'm headed to the station now if you two want a ride."

"Perfect." Sam nodded.

Sam and Angela followed Detective Glass out of the bank.

Dean looked at Castiel. "Hey. Can you lift this?"

Castiel pushed himself off the table and easily lifted the anvil. An _'X'_ was marked on the floor underneath it.

"X marks the spot," Dean commented. "Well, whoever's doing this is playing by cartoon rules."

"Animation doesn't have rules," Castiel argued.

"Sure it does," Dean replied. "In Toontown, a—a pretty girl can make your heart leap out of your chest, anvils fall from the sky, and if you draw a door or a black hole on the wall, you can stroll right through it." He explained as they walked over to one of the black circles.

"So, this is how the thief got in."

"And out." Dean nodded. "And cracked the vault."

"Then why isn't it working now?" Castiel asked, confused.

"I got no clue." Dean sighed.

~/~\~

Dean and Castiel were now in the motel room. Dean was using the laptop at the table while Castiel sat on one of the beds, looking at John's journal.

"Your father… Beautiful handwriting." Castiel commented.

Dean pursed his lips and looked up from the computer. "How you feeling, Cas?"

"I'm fine."

"Well, I just—I—I know that when… I got puked out of Purgatory, it took me a few weeks to… find my sea legs." Dean explained.

"I'm fine," Castiel repeated.

"Don't get me wrong." Dean continued. "I'm—I'm happy you're back. I'm—I'm freaking thrilled. It's just this whole mysterious-resurrection thing—it always has one mother of a downside."

Castiel closed the journal and looked up at Dean. "So, what do you want me to do?"

"Maybe take a trip upstairs," Dean suggested.

Castiel squinted. "To Heaven?"

"Yeah," Dean nodded. "Poke around, see if the God squad can't tell us how you got out."

"No," Castiel replied firmly.

Dean sighed. "Look, man, I—I hate those flying-ass monkeys just as much as you do, but—

"Dean! I said no!" Castiel snapped forcefully.

Castiel looked away from Dean. After a pause, Dean closed the laptop, walked over, and sat on the edge of the other bed, facing Castiel.

"Talk to me." Dean urged.

Castiel looked up at Dean. "Dean, I… When I was… bad… and I had all those things—the… the Leviathans… writhing inside me… I coughed a lot of suffering on Earth." He explained. "But, I devastated Heaven. I vaporized thousands of my own kind, and I—I—I can't go back."

"'Cause if you do, the angels will kill you," Dean commented.

Castiel pursed his lips. "Because if I see what Heaven's become—what I…" he sighed. "What I made of it… I'm afraid I might kill myself."

Suddenly, Sam and Angela entered the room, effectively ending the conversation.

"Hey." Angela greeted. "We got something."

"Good." Castiel stood up. "Excellent. What?"

"So, this black-hole guy—before he tried the bank, he robbed a house across from the park where Gary blew a gasket," Sam explained.

Dean stood up and walked over to Sam, Angela, and Castiel. "So, uh, what—you think the house heist and Gary's corpse are connected?"

"According to the file, they happened at pretty much the exact same time," Angela replied. "Here. Check this out. Okay." She said as she spread out a map on which _'X's_ were marked in three clusters. "Here's the house, and Gary died across the street here. And that building from this morning—right there. The black hole hit that, too."

"Let me guess," Dean sighed. "Where, uh, what's his name took a swan dive." He noted, earning a nod from Angela. "Alright. I'll bite. What about the others?"

"Well, those are places that stuff got stolen. But nobody got dead." Sam clarified. "Take away the graffiti, and these all look like just normal smash-and-grabs. But, Angie and I made a few phone calls…" he held out a police file, which Castiel took. "Talked to some people who are nearby—neighbors and whatnot—and they reported a whole lot of crazy."

"Like?" Dean raised his brows.

"Like a jogger bumping his head and sprouting a four-inch lump. Or a kid walking into a wall and hearing birdies." Angela answered. "Basically, for 50 yards around each robbery, people were living in a cartoon. But, it didn't last long—I mean, five, ten minutes at each place."

"About the length of time it would take a thief to get in and out." Castiel nodded.

"Exactly," Sam replied. "But whatever power he's using, it's—it's—it's not targeted. I mean, it's—it's kind of like an area of effect. I mean, picture him in a—in a bubble of weird, and anything that touches it gets daffy."

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. "So, this Animaniac can step through walls, can toss an anvil?"

"Yeah, but he's warping reality to do it." Angela sighed. "So, if someone happens to be nearby meeting the girl of his dreams…"

"His heart makes a break for it." Dean finished. "Okay, so smashing the, uh—the rent-a-cop—that, that was on purpose, but the rest of them—what, is that just collateral weird?"

"Maybe." Sam sighed.

"So, we're looking for a thief," Castiel confirmed.

"And the deposit box he was after," Sam added. "Now, the house, the office—every place he's hit belonged to someone living at the Sunset Fields retirement home."

"So, you think out guy's there."

"Worth a shot." Angela shrugged.

"Alright." Dean nodded. "Well, let's gear up. It's wabbit season."

Both Sam and Angela smiled, but Castiel just looked confused.

"I don't think you pronounced that correctly." He commented.

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, Angela, and Castiel walked into a large room in which residents were sitting at tables. They passed an old man using a walker and wearing an oxygen mask, who nodded to them. Dean made a face after the old man had gone by.

"Come on." Angela rolled her eyes. "It's not that bad."

"You can't tell me this joint doesn't give you the heebs and/or jeebs." Dean retorted.

A man in a suit walked up to them. "Hello."

"Hi," Dean replied.

"Can I help you?" The man asked curiously.

"Yeah." Dean nodded as he, Sam, and Angela held up their FBI badges. "Agent Crosby. FBI."

"Sorry, I'm Dr. Dwight Mahoney." He introduced. "I run Sunset Fields."

"We need to question your residents," Castiel noted.

Dr. Mahoney looked confused. "Well… why? About what?"

"Grand larceny, mostly," Sam replied.

Dean looked around Dr. Mahoney at placid-looking residents playing chest.

"Of course." Dr. Mahoney nodded. "Um, by all means, ask away. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know."

"Appreciate it." Angela smiled.

"Great." Dean nodded. "Alright, let's do this."

~/~\~

"You are so pretty, Charles." Mrs. Tate smiled at Castiel.

Dean and Castiel were at a table with Mrs. Tate. Dean noticed an attractive female employee walk by.

"That's not my name." Castiel frowned.

"Oh!" Mrs. Tate chuckled. "You look so much like my third husband."

"We're here to talk about the robbery, ma'am." Dean reminded.

"Robbery?" Mrs. Tate frowned.

"Mm-hmm. The one the police talked to you about a few days ago." He replied. "Someone broke into your old house and, uh, stole a stack of bearer bonds and, uh, some jewelry that you stashed under your floorboards."

"Oh, my diamonds, yes." She nodded. "I hid them there." She confirmed before looking at Castiel. "I'm sorry, Charles. I didn't trust you. You were quite the bounder."

Dean smiled at Castiel, amused before he turned back to Mrs. Tate. "Did you tell anyone where your valuables were, Mrs. Tate?"

"I don't think so." She shook her head. "But then I get a little fuzzy sometimes."

"Have you noticed anything strange lately—uh, cold spots, smells?" Dean questioned.

"Well, there's the cat." Mrs. Tate pointed.

Dean raised his brows. "The cat?"

A ginger cat was on a nearby couch, being stroked by another resident.

"He talks sometimes." Mrs. Tate continued. "Really hates that mouse."

"I'll interrogate the cat," Castiel said seriously. Castiel left the table, leaving Dean and Mrs. Tate alone.

~/~\~

An old man sat at a table in front of a tray of food, staring vacantly.

"You all done here?" an orderly asked, getting no response from the man. "Alright." He took the tray and walked over to Sam and Angela, who were standing nearby. "It's creepy, right? A lot of these people—they just tune out and live in their own heads. It's like maybe the real world is too much for them, and they just run and hide, you know?"

"Hmm." Sam nodded.

~/~\~

_Angela walked into the dining room where Sam was setting the table. "Okay, now, it's been a while since I've legitimately cooked an actual meal." She warned. "My dad used to cook this every once in a while, home-made chicken noodle soup from scratch." She set a pot down on the table._

_Sam smiled and walked over to Angela, kissing her softly. "Looks great, babe." He replied._

_"This is really weird," Angela admitted. "I mean, it's been so long since I've been so… domestic."_

_Sam chuckled and took her hand in his, squeezing gently. "We'll get used to it." He assured._

~/~\~

Dean walked up to Sam and Angela. "Hey, who do you guys got?"

Sam blinked a few times, coming back to reality. He cleared his throat. "Hey, um, nothing. Uh, no hex bags, no EMF. You?"

"Nada." Dean shook his head. "Half the folks I talked to don't even remember being robbed."

Sam looked at photos of Sunset Fields residents on the wall. "Dean, um… you remember a guy named Fred Jones? I think he was a contact of dad's, lived outside of Salt Lake."

"That's so crazy," Angela commented. "My dad knew Fred, too. He was like… _really_ cool."

"Yeah, that guy gave me my first beer," Dean smirked. "I don't even think I was double digits."

"Right, yeah. Me, too." Sam nodded. "Um, he was psychic, right?"

"Psychokinetic." Angela corrected. "Why?"

"'Cause he's in room 114." Sam pointed to Fred's picture.

Dean nodded and looked at Castiel. "Cas. Let's go."

Castiel was crouched down in front of the cat, which was now lying on a coffee table. "I've almost cracked him."

"Now." Dean pressed before he, Sam, and Angela walked away.

"Hey." Castiel held up a finger to the cat. "I'm not through with you."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked into Fred's room, where he was watching cartoons on the television.

"Mr. Jones?" Sam asked. "Hey, it's, uh, Sam Winchester." He crouched down next to Fred's wheelchair.

"Fred?" Dean asked.

_"My nerves! Get me a Doctor!"_

Dean switched off the television. "Fred! Hey!" he clapped his hands twice.

Fred just continued starting up at the television.

"So, you really think this one man is causing all of these… shenanigans?" Castiel asked skeptically.

"Well, if he is, he'd be surrounded by a circle of crazy, right?" Dean asked. "Hang on." Dean picked up a large book and hit himself in the head with it. There was a loud clanging sound, then the sound of birds chirping. Dean shook his head rapidly from side to side. "Brrr." He muttered. "Bingo."

"But how?" Castiel asked, clearly confused.

"Fred's got juice," Angela replied. "I mean, an average psychokinetic can move things with his mind, but a guy like Fred—you get him worked up, he can reshape reality."

"Alright, so where's his 'off' switch?" Dean asked.

"Don't know." Sam sighed. "I'm not even certain if he knows we're here."

Fred was still staring up at the turned-off television.

"Do we… kill him?" Castiel asked.

"Excuse me, Agents." Dr. Mahoney said from the doorway. "Did he just threaten to murder one of my patients?"

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Castiel walked down the hallway.

"Real freaking smooth," Dean commented sarcastically.

"Well, we don't have to leave him," Castiel argued. "I could teleport him."

"Fred's radioactive, Cas," Sam replied. "You zap him—not telling what will happen."

"Sam, Angie, and I will circle back tonight, get Fred nice and clean," Dean explained. "You go Invisible Girl and keep an eye on him. You hear me?"

With a flutter of wings, Castiel was gone. The three hunters turned to look behind them.

"Good." Dean nodded.


	16. Hunter Heroici Part 2

Castiel stood near the exploded cake. An employee wiped Mrs. Tate's face with a towel.

"I'm just gonna wipe this off your face, okay?" the employee said as she picked up a breathing mask. "I'm just gonna put this on."

Dean walked into the retirement home, brows furrowed.

"Oh. You got my message. Good." Castiel nodded.

"What the hell happened?" Dean asked.

"There was a pastry mishap," Castiel replied.

"Okay, and?"

"And the frosting reached near-supersonic speeds." Castiel clarified. "I thought—

Sam and Angela walked up, joining Dean and Castiel.

"Hey." Sam sighed.

"Hey."

"Fred's gone," Angela added.

Castiel frowned deeply. "What?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Oh, _fan-freaking-tastic."_ He grumbled, turning to Castiel. "Way to take your eye off the ball."

The employee pushed Mrs. Tate in her wheelchair towards Dean, Sam, Angela, and Castiel. "You're not supposed to be here." She warned.

"Well, trust me, sweetheart, you got bigger fish." Dean retorted.

Mrs. Tate removed the oxygen mask and looked up at Castiel. "Charles, she's wearing my diamonds."

The employee tried to push Mrs. Tate past Dean, Sam, Angela, and Castiel. However, Castiel quickly stopped her.

"Wait," Castiel demanded.

The employee's brows furrowed. "What? What's wrong?"

Castiel held the employee's wrist. "This is Mrs. Tate's bracelet. Where did you get it?"

"Answer the question," Dean demanded.

The employee looked between Dean and Castiel. "My boyfriend gave it to me."

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, and Angela walked into a house, shining their flashlights. Castiel was behind them.

"Hey." Angela picked up a piece of paper. "Bearer bonds. Maybe these belonged to Sheila Tate."

"So, this man is our thief," Castiel stated.

"Yeah." Sam nodded, looking around. He noticed someone lying on the floor behind an upturned table and pointed his gun. "Guys."

The man was an employee at the retirement home. He had blood on his face and was holding his hands over a stomach wound. Dean turned on the light and the man lifted his head. Dean moved the table.

"Cas," Dean called out.

Castiel walked over and crouched down next to the employee, despite his protests. "Stay still. Move your hands." Castiel commanded.

He held a hand out over the orderly's stomach. White light emanated from his hand. He pressed on the orderly's stomach, causing the man to gasp as if he were in pain. Castiel stood up as the orderly lifted his shirt. Blood remained on his hands and stomach, but his wound was healed.

"How did you…" the main trailed off.

"Guy eats his Wheaties." Dean retorted. "Sam, come on."

"What did you…"

"Get up," Dean demanded as he and Sam lifted the orderly up and pushed him into a chair. "Come on. Sit down."

"Wait a second!" the orderly snapped. "What did you just do to me?!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Dean snapped. "Where is Fred Jones?"

"I—he—he took him."

"Who?" Angela questioned.

"Dr. Mahoney." The orderly answered. "That guy's evil, okay? He's using Mr. Jones."

"How?" Sam asked.

"Look, all Fred does is watch cartoons, but he's magic, okay?" the orderly explained. "A few weeks ago, I—I slammed my foot in his door. I smashed it flat—and I mean _flat._ And then when I shook the thing, it popped back up, like something out of a cartoon or whatever."

Dean sighed. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know."

"So, I told Dr. Mahoney, and then he started doing experiments." The orderly continued. "Just—we just wanted to see what he could do."

"What about the robberies?" Angela asked.

"Oh, Mahoney's been skimming off Sunset Fields for years." The orderly replied. "A lot of those folks—they got stuff stashed away, like, off the books, like. So, Mahoney would track down the loot, and then we would take Fred for a drive."

"Right, and use his bubble of weird to rip people off." Dean summarized. "How did you end up gut-shot?"

"Mahoney—after—after he anviled that guard, he started freaking out, and then—then you showed up, and then the cake blew in the day room, and then he lost it."

"What do you mean, 'he lost it'?" Angela pressed.

"I mean he's on his way back to the bank right now for one last score." The orderly replied. "Doc's blowing town. I mean, he said that Fred was a loose end. He was gonna kill him. And then, I—I like Fred, so I said that if he hurt the guy, I'd go to the cops. And I didn't know that he had a gun."

Dean sighed heavily and nodded. "Okay."

~/~\~

Dean, Angela, Castiel, and Sam walked to the Impala.

"Do you think Mr. Jones knows what's happening?" Castiel asked.

"I don't know." Dean sighed. "Seems to me like the dude's living in a dream world."

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Castiel got into the Impala, quickly driving off.

~/~\~

The Impala pulled into a dark alleyway, and they all got out of the Impala.

"Alright," Dean started. "Jones has got to be close. I'll hit the bank. You guys see if you can find him."

Dean walked over and stopped in front of a large black circle on the wall of a building. He lifted a hand and tentatively reached out towards the circle. His fingers penetrated the wall and he quickly pulled his hand back. Dean looked at his hand, almost in awe, and reached into the circle again.

"Awesome." Dean laughed slightly.

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, and Castiel hurried along the street. Sam paused to look behind a parked car, then continued on.

"Can you feel that?" Castiel asked the couple. "The power?"

The looked inside a parked van. Fred was inside, watching cartoons on a tablet.

"Calamity Jane for you!" the cartoon voice exclaimed.

Sam and Angela got in the back of the van with Fred.

"Fred, hey. Fred, hey, hey." Angela grabbed his face gently. "Hey, Fred? Listen to me! Can you hear me? Fred!"

Sam sighed and looked at Castiel. "If only we could talk to him."

"Hey, Fred." Angela pressed. "Hey, wake up. Wake up."

Castiel put his hands on Fred's hand and arm. Sam's brows furrowed in confusion.

"Cas?" he questioned.

White light emanated from Castiel's hands, causing the hunters to panic slightly.

"Wait." Sam tried to stop him. "Wait!"

The white light quickly became blinding. The two hunters grimaced and covered their eyes.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela looked around the cartoon landscape they were now in, deeply confused. A cartoon creature ran along a dirt track and continued off into the distance. Just after the creature disappeared, there was an explosion over the horizon.

"Cas, uh, where are we?" Sam asked, brows furrowed.

"Inside Mr. Jones's mind." The angel replied. "You said you wanted to talk to him."

Fred stood with his arms crossed near Castiel, Angela, and Sam. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

The blue sky shattered into pieces and fell. The desert landscape now appeared in overexposed, moving gray and white static.

"Fred," Angela started. "Fred. Um, hey, it's—it's me, uh Angela Morgan, a-and Sam Winchester."

Fred's brows furrowed as he looked the two hunters over. "Robert's daughter and John's boy? The scrawny one?"

"That's right." Sam nodded.

Fred shook his head. "It's only been… three, four years since I've seen either of you." He replied as color started to return to the landscape.

"More like, uh, 20." Angela corrected, resting a hand on her baby bump. "Uh, listen, Fred, we're gonna need you to focus."

"How did you… Why are you here?" Fred frowned.

~/~\~

Dean walked into the vault where Dr. Mahoney was putting money into a bag. Dean clicked the safety off of his gun. "What's up, Doc?"

~/~\~

"No, no, no, no, no…" Fred shook his head. "You're lying!"

"This is happening, Mr. Jones," Castiel assured. "They're using you."

"As what—some kind of damn psychic CopperTop?" he retorted. "You plug me in, and the whole world goes wacky? It doesn't work that way."

"How would you know?" Sam countered. "No offense, but it seems to me like you've been spending more time in here than you have… out there."

Fred pursed his lips. "You want to know what's the worst thing that can happen to a guy that's got a mind like I got?" he asked. "Losing it."

~/~\~

"You let me walk, and half of this is yours." Dr. Mahoney offered.

Dean peered at the bag on the table. He clicked his tongue and shook his head. "I think I'm gonna pass. I'm not really into stealing from sweet old ladies."

"I'm not stealing from them. I'm stealing from their children." Dr. Mahoney corrected. "Little bastards think they can drop their folks off at a home and visit twice a year, _maybe._ I took care of all these old geezers. I think I deserve—

"I don't care!" Dean yelled.

Dr. Mahoney nodded. "Fine. Have it your way."

Dean lowered his gun a few inches. Dr. Mahoney flung papers at Dean and pushed him back against the wall. Dean fell to the ground and Dr. Mahoney took the bag and ran. Dean fired his gun, a red and yellow flag with 'BANG' written on it popped out. Dr. Mahoney paused and turned.

"Welcome to the funhouse." He smirked.

Dean stared at the flag for a moment. Dr. Mahoney ran off and Dean followed him.

~/~\~

"Cartoons—yeah, yeah, I always loved them when I was a kid," Fred noted. "They made me feel… happy—safe. They were…"

"Something to hold on to." Angela murmured.

"Yeah." Fred nodded.

~/~\~

Dean chased Dr. Mahoney throughout the bank. Dean managed to tackle him, both of them crashing to the ground in the process. Dr. Mahoney suddenly produced a large frying pan from his jacket, and he hit Dean across the face with it three times, then pressed it into Dean's face. Dean yelled as the image of his face appeared in the frying pan. Dr. Mahoney lowered the frying pan to reveal a very dazed looking Dean, who fell to the ground.

"Give up!" Dr. Mahoney yelled. "I've been dealing with this crazy for months! And you—idiot—bring a gun to a gag fight."

"Yeah, well, I did bring this," Dean replied, holding up a can of spray paint. "And 'X' marks the spot."

Dr. Mahoney looked down and saw that he was standing over an _'X'_ marked on the floor. He looked up and managed to get out the way, avoiding the anvil that landed on the _'X'._

~/~\~

"We need you to stop this… take control." Angela pleaded.

"It's too hard!" Fred argued.

"Look, it can be nice living in a dream world. It can be great." Sam replied. "I know that. And you can hide, and you can pretend all the crap out there doesn't exist, but you can't do it forever because… eventually, whatever it is you're running from—it'll find you." Sam explained.

Both Castiel and Angela watched as Sam spoke, both of them taking in his words.

"It'll come along, and it'll punch you in the gut." Sam continued. "And then… then you got to wake up because if you don't, then trying to keep that dream alive will destroy you! It'll destroy everything!"

Suddenly, a white light enveloped Sam, Angela, Castiel, and Fred.

~/~\~

Dean pulled himself up off the floor. Dr. Mahoney grabbed the bag and ran for a large black circle on the wall. He yelled as he ran into the wall, falling to the ground.

"Looks like somebody turned off the boob tube," Dean noted.

"Good." Dr. Mahoney replied as he pulled out a gun. "Means I can use this."

"No!" Fred yelled suddenly. "You are never going to hurt anyone again!"

Dr. Mahoney gasped as he pointed the gun at his own head against his will. There was a loud gunshot, causing Sam, Dean, and Angela to flinch.

"Now that's all, folks," Dean muttered.

~/~\~

Fred shook his head. "My God."

"Fred." Angela walked towards him. "You good?"

"Now I'm good. In a month, year…" he sighed. "Nobody gets sharper with age. I'm gonna lose control again, and somebody's gonna get hurt… again. You got to make it stop."

"There might be a way," Castiel interjected. "The procedure will be painful, and… when it's over, I'm not sure how much of you will be left."

Fred took a deep breathing, weighing the options. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

~/~\~

Fred sat in his wheelchair in the day room of the retirement home. Sam, Dean, Angela, and Castiel stood nearby.

"Is he, uh—is he okay?" Sam asked.

"He's listening to _'Ode to Joy'_ ," Castiel replied. "He's happy."

Dean smiled a small smile. "Alright, well, let's blow this termite terrace." He sighed. "Cas, you get to ride shotgun. You done good."

"Thanks, but I, uh… I can't come." Castiel replied. "I, uh…"

After a few moments of Castiel not saying anything, the hunters became mildly worried.

"You—you what, Cas?" Angela asked, breaking him from his trance. "W-why can't you come with us?"

"I, um…" he trailed off. "I want to stay with Mr. Jones. Someone should watch over him for a few days just to be safe."

"Okay, then what?" Dean questioned.

"Then I'm not sure." The angel admitted. "But, I know I can't run anymore."

Sam pursed his lips as he zoned out a bit.

~/~\~

_Sam went to pull Angela closer to him but frowned when he noticed that she wasn't in bed with him. Concerned, Sam got up and made his way downstairs._

_"Babe?" Sam called out softly. He noticed that the kitchen light was on and decided to follow it. "Angie?" he asked when he saw her at the kitchen table._

_Angela looked up from her glass of water, startled by Sam's sudden appearance. "Oh, hey, Sammy."_

_Sam frowned slightly as he sat down next to her. "What's wrong, baby, are… is everything okay?"_

_Angela glanced down at her glass and sighed. "I just… I can't sleep. I don't know, I guess I just have a lot on my mind."_

_"Well… do you wanna talk about it?" Sam asked gently._

_Angela swallowed nervously. "I love the life we're building here, I do, but…" she trailed off. "I just can't help but think about the last time I tried to live a normal life. I was running away from my dad's death." She explained._

_Sam just furrowed his brows slightly, unsure of where she was going with this._

_"What if we're just trying to run away, Sam?" Angela whispered, tears pricking at her eyes. "We've barely talked about Dean since he…" she trailed off. "I'm just worried that one day this is all going to fall apart."_

~/~\~

"Baby?" Angela asked, breaking him from his thoughts. "Come on."

Sam took Angela's hand in his and they followed Dean out of the retirement home.


	17. Citizen Fang Part 1

Dean carried a tray of food from the drive-in window to the Impala. Sam was in the Impala talking on the phone, Angela sitting next to him.

"Yeah. And you're certain? You sure?" Sam asked. "Okay. Great. Just, uh, just hang tight till you hear from me, okay?"

Dean got into the Impala and furrowed his brows. "Who is it?"

Sam just held up a finger to Dean. "No, listen to me. I said _hang tight."_ He stressed before hanging up. "We got to get."

Dean frowned. "Can I at least finish my burger?"

"Apparently we got a vamp kill," Angela sighed. "In Carencro, Louisiana."

"Huh," Dean muttered. "It's been a while since I've had some étouffée. Who's the source?"

"Martin Creaser," Sam replied.

Dean frowned and looked at Sam for a minute. "Sorry—for a minute there, I thought you said, _Martin Creaser."_ He replied. Sam just looked at Dean without speaking, causing Dean to scoff. "Crazy Martin from the loony bin?"

"Glendale Springs discharged him last month." Angela corrected.

"And?" Dean scoffed. "Shouldn't he be assembling toys in a padded room? What's he doing back on the job?"

Sam paused for a moment. "I asked him."

Dean's brows furrowed. "You what?"

"Look," Sam sighed. "He called me when he got out, okay, asked if I had anything for him that might help him ease back into the game. He seemed okay—mostly—so, I said yes." He explained. "I've had him tracking Benny for the past week."

Angela looked up and sighed heavily, knowing this was going to cause an argument.

"You put _'mostly okay'_ Martin on Benny?" Dean raised his brows. "What is _'mostly okay'_ doing hunting at all?"

"Not hunting, Dean— _tracking._ " Sam corrected. "Observe and report only. I was crystal clear about that."

"Wow." Dean shook his head. "I can't believe that."

"Okay," Angela cut in, catching the attention of both brothers. "I'm tired of these arguments. Sam did what he thought was the right thing, and Dean, Benny's your friend, so I get why you're upset. But right now, it looks like Sam made the right call."

Dean just rolled his eyes. "So, Martin's saying Benny did this?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"Okay." Dean sighed.

Sam raised his brows, shocked. "Okay?"

"If Benny's in Louisiana draining folks… we should look into it," Dean replied, starting the engine.

~/~\~

The Impala rounded a corner and pulled up outside a building, offering rooms for rent. The three hunters got out of the Impala and went inside.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked down a dingy hallway. As Sam raised his hand to knock on door number two, Martin opened it.

"You said to look for an eruption." He commented. "How's Mount Vesuvius?"

Sam, Dean, and Angela entered Martin's room, and he closed the door behind them.

"I got into town about a week ago. Up until last night, _nothing._ He's been clean."

"Doing what?" Dean questioned.

"Just minding his own business." Martin shrugged. "Working at the gumbo shack."

"Benny's working at the gumbo shack?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Martin nodded. "Slinging hash, pouring coffee—the whole bit. And he may be Benny to you. Folks around here call him Roy."

Dean looked Martin over. "Martin, you sure you're running on a full charge?"

"Y-yeah. L-l-little s-shock therapy in the morning, and I-I'm," he snapped his fingers. "Good to go."

"Tell us what happened," Angela interjected.

Martin nodded. "So, I followed him home, just like every other night. He turned up a path. I hear a scream. I catch up. Then, boom—there he is. The old coot that Roy was eyeballing at the joint—vamped."

"Wait—did you actually see Benny kill the guy or not?" Dean asked.

"I saw enough." Martin shrugged.

"Well, then, how can you be so sure it was Benny if you didn't actually see him do it?" Dean questioned.

"B-b-because I saw Benny turn up the path, and then two seconds later, I trip over a body with its throat ripped." Benny retorted. "Look, man, you—you ever hear of Occam's Razor? Keep it simple, stupid? It's not that complicated."

"There's a lot of holes, Martin." Dean shrugged.

"Holes?" Martin scoffed. "The only holes we should be looking at are in the vic's neck."

Dean looked at Sam and Angela. "This sound like the Benny you know?"

Angela sighed softly. "Dean, we don't know Benny."

Martin's brows furrowed. "The Benny you know? Say what? Why am I getting the distinct impression that your brother is _vouching_ for a vampire?" he looked at Sam and Angela.

"Guys, let's not argue." Sam cut in. "It isn't good for Angie and the baby." He gave a pointed look to Dean.

"Nobody's arguing, but if this is Benny—and that's a big 'if'—

"Oh, it's him," Martin assured.

Dean clenched his jaw. "I got history with the guy, okay? I'm not signing up for a witch hunt. I owe him more than that."

Martin looked at Dean as if he were crazy. "What in God's great creation could a Winchester possibly owe a vampire? Am I hearing this right?"

"Look, until we get the facts, we stow the bloodlust and we work this case right," Dean replied. "Or, we work it separately."

"Doing it right would be separating his head from his shoulders," Martin grumbled.

Dean looked at Sam and Angela. "I just need some time, guys."

"Oh, yeah." Martin scoffed. "Let the fang take another life? I don't think so."

"How much time do you need?" Angela asked.

Martin frowned and looked at Angela. "You're not _actually_ considering this?"

"Couple hours, tops," Dean replied.

"And what if it turns out to be Benny?" Martin questioned.

"Then it's Benny, and I'll deal with it!" Dean snapped.

"Couple hours, Dean. No more." Sam sighed.

Dean nodded. "I'll be in touch." He replied, heading for the door.

Martin followed him. "H-hey. Oh, look. Hey, uh—

Dean walked out the door and closed it behind him.

Martin looked at the couple. "You're joking, right? We're doing this as soon as he pulls away."

"No, we're not, Martin," Angela replied sternly. "We're gonna give him a little bit of time."

Martin looked between Sam and Angela, shaking his head. "Hey, it's your brother. It's your call. How long are you two gonna let him go on like this? It's staring him right in the face."

~/~\~

Dean walked into the gumbo shack and sat down at the counter. Elizabeth set down a menu in front of him.

"Actually, I already know what I want." Dean smiled.

"Let me guess—gumbo?" Elizabeth asked.

Dean chuckled. "Was gonna be the gumbo till I saw…" he pointed and clicked his tongue. "Pie."

"Well, the special's pecan." Elizabeth offered.

"'Course it is. Let's do that."

Elizabeth nodded and walked away. Dean looked at photos pinned up behind the counter, including one of Benny and Elizabeth.

Elizabeth returned, sighing. "Bad news."

"You're out of pecan. Story of my life." Dean sighed. "Uh, that's alright. Maybe you can make it up to me. I'm actually looking for an old friend of mine. I heard he's kicking around these parts. His name's Roy."

"Well, Roy works the night shift here," Elizabeth replied. "I mean, if we're talking about the same Roy."

"Uh, yeah, he, uh, putts around in a—a beat-up camper," Dean explained. "Things looks like a rolling death trap."

Elizabeth laughed. "Yeah, I thought I was the only one who gave him trouble over that piece of junk."

It was Dean's turn to laugh. "You wouldn't happen to know where he's parking that thing these days, would you?"

"Well, he, uh, was parking it out back, but he just called to tell me he's gone up the road to Mill Creek for a few days."

"Okay." Dean nodded. "Uh, did he say why?"

"Oh… fishing, I think." Elizabeth drawled. "He really deserves a break. He's been working doubles for the last two weeks straight."

"Um, listen, I, uh, tell you what," Dean started as he wrote something down. "If he pops up before I can find him, you do me a favor and just have him give me a buzz. Or…" he slid the piece of paper over to Elizabeth. "Could just drop a dime yourself." He smiled charmingly.

"Sure thing…" she picked up the paper and smiled. "Dean."

Dean started to stand up. "And, uh, you are…?"

"Elizabeth." She smiled.

"Elizabeth." He nodded. "Alright. Take a rain check on that pie."

"Definitely." She murmured.

Dean rapped his knuckled on the counter and sauntered out of the gumbo shack.

~/~\~

Dean made a call on his cell phone, waiting for Benny to pick up.

 _"Leave a message at the beep."_ Benny's voicemail recited.

"Benny," Dean started. "I got a body here in Carencro with two holes in it, and I just found out you went fishing. Do I need to tell you what this looks like?"

~/~\~

Benny washed his bloody hands in a well. The crunch of leaves alerted him that someone was behind him.

"It's not me, Dean," Benny assured.

"Now, which 'me' are we talking about—Benny, or Roy?"

Benny turned to face Dean, who held a machete behind his back.

"I'm just trying to blend in." Benny sighed.

"Blend in?" Dean asked. "Who'd you plant, Benny?"

"Victim number two." He replied. "If you're concerned about the missed calls, I didn't want to get you involved. Now… Want to safety that thing…" he put a hand on his own machete. "Talk a little bit or what?"

Dean took his machete out from behind his back. "I'm all ears."

"Rogue vamp. Came into the café a couple nights ago." Benny explained. "Youngster goes by the name of Desmond. He, uh, he remembers me from the good old days."

Dean raised his brows. "The good old days?"

"I know it's hard to believe, but I haven't always been this cute and cuddly." Benny drawled. "He's chasing a memory, Dean. That's all. He's crewing up a new nest. He's hoping I can give him some cred. I told him no."

"Alright. So far, so good." Dean replied. "Let's get to the part about the blood."

"Didn't want to take no for an answer." Benny continued. "He's trying to roust me out, leaving dead bodies in my wake till I sign up. Two bodies in two days. No amateur is gonna kick me out of my hometown, Dean. Not this time."

"Hometown?" Dean asked. "You grew up here?"

Benny nodded. "Born and bred. With Andrea gone and you hunting again, seemed like the right time for a homecoming—you two being the only ones who keep all my ducks in a row. Went back to my old job at the café. I even found myself someone to hold myself accountable to. Best kind of someone, Dean. Family."

Dean chuckled softly. "Elizabeth." He muttered, taking a few steps past Benny. Dean sheathed his machete.

"My great-granddaughter." Benny nodded.

"Really?" Dean asked. He made a face, still facing away from Benny.

Benny frowned. "Now, hold it, now. You didn't—

"Uh, no." Dean chuckled as he turned around. "No. Does she know?"

"No." Benny shook his head. "No, as far as she's concerned, I was just another drifter. I'd like to keep it that way. It's been tough walking the line here after all those years in Purgatory not having to deal with the hunger. But Elizabeth… She keeps me honest. I finally feel like I got a handle on this thing."

"Handle on things?" Dean frowned. "Benny, you've got two stiffs on your hands and three hunters on your ass!"

Benny rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. The half-wit who found me at the café? I'll take my chances with him."

"That half-wit was sent by my sister-in-law and my brother," Dean retorted. "And trust me—they are not people you want to mess with."

"I don't have time to worry about them, Dean," Benny stressed. "I didn't think Desmond had an ounce of steel in his spine, but I was wrong about that. So, now I'm gonna do what I should have done two days ago, which is put him back where he belongs."

"You know there's only one way to do that, right?" Dean sighed. "And that's for you to sit on the sideline while I convince Sam, Angie, and Martin to go after Desmond. They see you out there, they don't care if you're gonna be collecting for the March of Dimes. They are gonna slice first and ask questions later. You know that."

Benny pursed his lips. "You really think they'll go for that?"

~/~\~

"Let me get this straight," Martin started. "I follow your boy… down a freaking path and trip over fresh vamp kill, and then you practically catch him in the act…" he took an ice tray out of the freezer. "Of burying a second body, and you're still taking his side?"

"Vampires pick people off from the outskirts of town, okay?" Dean sighed.

"Pfffft!" Martin stabbed the ice tray with a fork.

"Not in the cafes that they work in with their great-grandkids," Dean stressed. "In fact, killing any human—it's not his style."

Martin scoffed. "Not his style? _Not his style?"_

Sam sighed heavily. "Listen, Dean, we came here on a dead body. You asked for some time, and now there's another dead body. Are we just going on trust here?"

Dean pursed his lips. "Yes."

"Okay." Angela sighed. "Because we've killed for a lot less, and you know how these things turn out for us."

"Yes, I do—too well," Dean replied. "In fact, every relationship I. have ever had has gone to crap at some point. But the one thing I can say about Benny—he has never let me down."

Sam clenched his jaw and hurt flashed across Angela's face.

"Huh." Sam scoffed. "Well, good on you, Dean. Must feel great finally finding someone you can trust after all these years."

Dean looked down, then back up at the couple. "All I'm saying is that Benny is innocent."

Sam stood up and shook his head. "No. You're too close to this."

"You're not gonna find him," Dean warned. "And if you do, I'm gonna tell you this. You'll be lucky to get out alive. And you…" he pointed to Martin. "You go with them, you're a dead man—period."

Martin drained his drink and picked up a knife.

"These are innocent lives we're talking about, Dean," Sam stressed. "And you're willing to risk that on Benny's word alone?"

Martin moved to stand behind Dean.

"Damn right I am," Dean replied firmly.

Martin hit Dean hard in the back of the head with the hilt of his knife. Dean fell to the ground, unconscious.

"What… was that?!" Angela exclaimed.

"Dean made his choice," Martin replied. "Let's do our job."

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, and Martin left the room and walked down the hallway. Martin was carrying a bag.

"Glad John wasn't around to hear that," Martin muttered. "He'd have a mind to take you both out the woodshed and show you what's what. Half inclined to do it myself."

Sam pushed Martin against the wall. "You listen to me." He glared. "I brought you into this. I can bring you out just as easily. So, the only thing you're gonna be inclined to do is shut up and follow our lead." He explained, grabbing the keys from Martin's hand.

"Okay. You say so." Martin relented.

~/~\~

The three hunters left the building and walked past the Impala.

"Just saying—brother chooses a vampire over family?" Martin asked. "I know how I'd feel."

~/~\~

Dean attempted to free himself from the handcuffs. There was blood on his face.

"Come on." He muttered.

The handcuffs came free and he took his cell phone out of his jacket, which was now on the bed. Dean dialed and waited for Benny to pick up.

 _"What'd they say?"_ Benny's voice rang through.

"They didn't go for it." Dean sighed. "They're on their way to you. I'd get scarce."

_"No offense, Dean, but your little brother and sister don't exactly put chills up my spine."_

"Benny, listen to me," Dean stressed. "Do not underestimate them, okay? Sam can and will kill you given the chance. And Angie may be pregnant, but she'll put up a hell of a fight."

 _"Alright."_ Benny relented. _"So, what now?"_

"I go find Desmond."

 _"You take me with."_ Benny retorted.

"Hey, I just told you—the best thing you can do is lay low," Dean stressed as he walked out of the room.

 _"That ain't gonna work this time, bub,"_ Benny replied. _"You take me with, or I don't tell you where he is."_

Dean's brows furrowed. "You know where he is?"

 _"He said he's not gonna stop the killing till I join his little nest,"_ Benny explained. _"Two bodies is enough. I told him I'm in."_

"Benny." Dean sighed.

_"Dean, this is my fight. Are you in or are you out?"_

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, and Martin were in the woods. Sam and Angela looked at clothing hanging on a line.

Martin held his machete. "Something spooked him."

Angela frowned when she felt a sudden pain in her chest—almost like a burning sensation. She rested a hand on her stomach and let out a pained noise.

Sam frowned in concern. "Baby? What's wrong?"

Angela shook her head, clenching her jaw in pain. "I-I don't know, Sam…" she groaned.

"Alright, that's it, I'm taking you to a hospital to get you checked out," Sam replied firmly.

Sam quickly led Angela to the car and got her situated before he started the engine, which caught Martin's attention.

"Sam. Angela." He frowned. "Sam! Angela!"

Sam sped away in Martin's vehicle, shooting Angela worried looks.


	18. Citizen Fang Part 2

Dean pulled up in the Impala and threw it into park. Benny was waiting for him, holding a machete. Dean got out of the Impala and took out his own machete.

"This the place, huh?" Dean asked as he opened the trunk. "So, what's the plan? I hang back while you guys do some trust falls and binge-drinking?"

"Man, if I didn't know better, I'd say you have an extremely low opinion of us vamps." Benny retorted.

"Pssh. Call it healthy skepticism."

~/~\~

Dean and Benny walked into the building. Dean looked around with a flashlight. Someone crossed the room behind him and he turned, but saw no one. Dean went to investigate and Desmond dropped lightly to the ground behind him. Desmond advanced on Dean, who turned and swung with his machete. Desmond sent Dean flying to the ground, then straddled him.

Desmond's fangs descended. "Benny never told me he was bringing a friend."

"You're not gonna talk a lot, are you?" Dean grunted as he reached for his syringe of dead man's blood. "I've been dealing with crazy… all day."

Dean tried to jab Desmond with the syringe, but Desmond caught his hand and squeezed it, breaking the syringe. Dean groaned. Desmond forced Dean's hand down and slashed at his neck with a fingernail, cutting him. Desmond licked Dean's blood from his fingers, then snarled and lunged at Dean's neck. Benny pulled Desmond upright and decapitated him.

"Son of a…" Dean muttered. "It took you long enough."

"You've lost a step, friend," Benny replied as he pulled Dean to his feet. "You need to lay off the junk food."

Dean touched the cut on his neck and winced in pain. Benny stared at the wound, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"You okay?" Dean asked.

Benny raised his eyes to Dean's. "I'm fine." He mumbled before he turned and slowly walked away.

~/~\~

Dean, who held a cloth to his neck, walked over to Benny.

"My life here is over, isn't it?" Benny asked sadly.

"Afraid so." Dean sighed. "Once word gets out… The machete swingers that'll come for you… You can't take them all. It's impossible. And even if you could…"

"We'd have a problem." Benny finished.

Dean pursed his lips. "Guys like us, we don't get a home. We don't get family."

"You got Sam and Angela." Benny reminded. "And you're gonna be an uncle."

Dean paused for a moment. "Yeah. Benny, you got to go deep underground, where _nobody_ knows who you are."

"Yeah." Benny nodded. "I got one last thing I got to do."

~/~\~

Dean and Benny stood outside of the gumbo shack. Benny smiled softly as he watched Elizabeth work.

"Time to go, buddy." Dean sighed.

Benny nodded and held out his hand for Dean to shake. "Thanks for not giving up on me, brother."

Dean shook his hand and nodded. "Don't give me a reason to."

Benny clapped Dean on the back and got into his vehicle. Dean raised a hand in farewell as Benny drove away.

~/~\~

Dean was driving down a dark road as he pulled out his phone and dialed.

 _"Hey, Dean."_ Martin's voice rang through.

"Look, I'm just calling to let you know that the situation is resolved," Dean replied. "Benny was not lying. There was another vamp, and we ganked him—together."

 _"Oh,"_ Martin replied. _"That's good, Dean."_

"Yeah, shut up and listen to me," Dean demanded. "Benny's long gone, and he won't be coming back, ever. So, for your own sake, do not follow him. Are we clear?"

 _"You don't have to worry about me, Dean. I'm long gone, too."_ Martin assured.

"Oh, and Martin?"

_"Yeah?"_

"Find a new line of work," Dean replied firmly before hanging up.

~/~\~

The nurse walked over to Angela's bed holding a clipboard. Sam sat next to the bed, holding Angela's hand in his.

"Alright, Mrs. Winchester," the nurse smiled softly. "You're all good to go."

"And everything's okay?" Sam asked concernedly.

The nurse nodded. "Yep! Just a mild case of heartburn, which is common at this point in pregnancy." She explained. "However, Mrs. Winchester, is there anything that's causing you severe stress?"

Sam and Angela shared a look before Angela looked up at the nurse.

"Um, we have some family issues going on…" she shrugged. "And work is kind of stressful."

The nurse nodded. "Okay, well, I'm going to ask you not to engage in extremely strenuous activities. Other than that, you're good to go."

"And everything's okay with the baby?" Sam asked.

The nurse nodded. "Your baby is perfectly healthy." She assured.

"Thank you." Angela smiled softly.

~/~\~

Dean drove along the road, humming along to the music. Suddenly, his phone started ringing.

"Yeah?" he answered.

 _"Dean?"_ Elizabeth's voice rang through.

Dean frowned. "H-hang on." He turned off the music. "Elizabeth?"

_"Y-you told me to call you if I saw… him."_

Dean's brows furrowed. "What do you mean? Roy? Is—is he there right now? Elizabeth, what's going on?"

 _"Just come."_ Elizabeth pleaded, her voice breaking.

The tires screeched as Dean pulled a 180-degree turn, accelerating quickly.

~/~\~

Elizabeth sat on the steps outside the café as Dean pulled up in the Impala. Her hands were shaking and she had tears in her eyes. Dean walked over to her and she pointed to the inside of the café. Dean took a towel from his pocket and held it to the cut on Elizabeth's neck. He put a hand on her shoulder as he walked past her into the café.

~/~\~

Dean walked into the café and noticed blood on the floor. He walked across the room and found Martin dead on the floor in a large pool of blood. Martin's bloody knife was next to him and his neck was badly mauled. Dean sighed heavily.

~/~\~

Angela was at the desk filling out her discharge papers. Sam pulled out his phone and dialed.

 _"Sammy?"_ Dean's voice rang through. _"Where the hell are you guys?"_

"Hospital," Sam replied. "Angie was in a lot of pain—we decided to get her checked out."

 _"Is… Is everything okay?"_ Dean asked worriedly.

"Yeah, yeah," Sam assured. "So? Is it done."

_"Yeah, it's done."_

"Any casualties?" Sam questioned.

 _"Martin,"_ Dean admitted after a pause.

Sam closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "Was it Benny?"

 _"He had it coming, Sam."_ Dean defended. _"I'll tell you what happened."_

"I-I know what happened, Dean." Sam retorted.

_"Okay, you want to listen to me or not?"_

Sam just shook his head and hung up.

~/~\~

"Sam?" Dean asked. He closed his eyes, sighing heavily as he tossed the phone onto the seat next to him. "Dammit."

~/~\~

Sam pocketed his phone and walked over to Angela. She looked up at him, frowning when she noticed his grim expression.

"Sammy, is everything okay?" she asked worriedly.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, yeah. What do you say we, uh, head back to Texas?"


	19. Torn & Frayed Part 1

Angela looked up at Sam, her brows furrowed in confusion. "You… you want to go back to Texas?"

Sam nodded and took her hands in his. "Yeah, just you, me, and the baby." He murmured.

Angela was about to say something when Dean came into the hospital lobby.

"Dean?" Angela asked, causing Sam to turn around and look at his brother.

"Who did you expect?" Dean scoffed slightly. "Look, I-I just need you guys to listen to me, please."

Sam shook his head. "No. I heard all I needed to hear."

Angela's brows furrowed in confusion. "What the hell—

"No, you heard what you _wanted_ to hear." Dean snapped. "I told you Benny wasn't killing. Hell, I watched him end the fangbanger that was."

"How about Martin? How did he end that?" Sam raised his brows.

Dean pursed his lips. "Stupid—just like I said it would. Crazy son of a bitch didn't give Benny a choice. It was self-defense."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Dean? That's the story you're going with? That the _vampire_ was the real victim here?"

"Hey, like it or not, that's the truth, okay?" Dean shrugged. "There was a time when that actually meant something."

"Dean, this isn't just about Benny!" Sam snapped.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean frowned.

"Angie, Dean," Sam stressed. "This whole thing has ended up stressing her out to the point of pain, twice!"

Dean sighed heavily. "Look, if you had just trusted me—

"You didn't want us to trust you." Angela cut in. "You wanted us to trust Benny, and we can't do that."

Dean nodded and pursed his lips. "Right. Okay, well, then, what the hell do we do now?"

"That depends. It depends on you." Sam replied. "On whether or not you're done with him."

Dean paused for a moment. "Well, honestly, I don't know."

Sam pursed his lips and nodded. "Then Angie and I need some space from you for a while."

~/~\~

Dean slept on the couch, holding a bottle of beer. Castiel stood in front of the couch, watching Dean sleep. Dean opened his eyes and jumped, spilling his beer.

"Dammit, Cas!" he snapped. "How many times I got to tell you—it's just creepy!"

"Dean, I need your help," Castiel replied. "The angel Samandriel…"

"Sam—

"He's been taken," Castiel interjected.

Dean's brows furrowed. "You mean Alfie, the wiener-on-a-stick kid?"

"Yes." Castiel nodded. "I, uh—I heard his distress call this morning."

Dean looked slightly confused. "On what, angel radio? I thought you shut that down."

"Well, my penance, it's going well, and I thought it was time to turn it back on," Castiel explained. "I've, uh… been helping people, Dean."

"Well, good for you." Dean nodded as he stood up. "Alright. So, who snatched Heaven's most adorable angel?"

"Crowley."

Dean closed his eyes for a moment, sighing heavily. "I'm listening."

"Samandriel is being held in the general vicinity of Hastings, Nebraska," Castiel explained.

Dean raised his brows. "The general vicinity? That's all you got?"

Castiel nodded. "Yes, which is why I need your help. It seems this is gonna involve… talking to people."

"Come on, Cas," Dean reprimanded as he walked to the table. "I thought you were a hunter now."

"Well… I thought so, too, but… It seems I—I lack a certain—

"Skill?" Dean raised his brows as he sat down. He opened his laptop and there was a loud gonging noise from the website on the screen, _'Bust Asian Beauties'_. Dean quickly closed the laptop again. "You saw nothing." He warned Castiel.

Dean opened the laptop again and the going sound played for a second time. He held up a hand to cover the screen as he minimized the browser.

"Alright," Dean smirked. "What am I looking for?"

"Well, when you torture an angel, it screams… and that kind of pain, it creates a ripple effect of strange incidents," Castiel explained as he looked around the room. "Where are Sam and Angela?"

"They're gone," Dean replied vaguely. "It's alright. We'll, uh, find Alfie ourselves."

~/~\~

A nature program played on the small, old television. Sam sat on the couch, Angela leaning against him. He had his arm snaked around her waist.

 _"This charming little dung beetle makes his living upon the sands of Egypt."_ The narrator explained. _"Here, billions of tiny particles, the remnants of ancient seas…"_

Angela sighed and turned off the television, grabbing Sam's attention.

"Babe—

"Sam, we need to figure out what we're gonna do." Angela interrupted. "We can't keep going back and forth, hunting with Dean or not hunting with Dean. It's getting exhausting."

Sam sighed heavily and ran a hand over his face. "I know." He murmured. "I thought the one thing we'd be able to see eye to eye on would be you and the baby, but… I don't know."

"I want him to be in his niece's life," Angela replied.

"I know, and I understand." Sam agreed. "But… until we all come to an agreement, what the hell are we supposed to do?"

Angela leaned up and kissed Sam reassuringly. "We'll figure it out. But, for now, I guess we table the issue…"

Sam nodded in agreement, pressing a kiss to her forehead. He grabbed the remote, turning the television back on.

~/~\~

_Geneva, Nebraska_

The Impala rounded a corner and drove along the street. Castiel sat in the passenger's seat.

~/~\~

Mr. Hinckley lied in the hospital bed, his face partially wrapped in bandages. Dean knocked on the frame of the open door, and he and Castiel entered. Dean wore a _'Press'_ ID badge.

"Mr. Hinckley?" Dean asked. "Hi. Uh, we're from the, uh, _Geneva Gazette._ I wanted to ask you a few questions about your… ambush." He chuckled briefly.

"Yeah, well… I'd laugh, too, if it didn't feel like the sun just ate my face." Mr. Hinckley retorted.

"It's a metaphor," Castiel told Dean.

Dean looked at Castiel for a moment before turning back to Mr. Hinckley. "Sorry. Uh, now, in the police report, it said that the, uh—the bush, it talked to you, yeah?"

"Yeah, I know it sounds crazy, but, yeah." He confirmed.

"And what did it say?" Castiel questioned.

"No clue." Mr. Hinckley replied. "Sounded like Klingon to me."

"Gonna need exact words." Dean pressed.

"Are you serious?"

Castiel leaned over to look at Dean's face. "That's his serious face, yes."

Dean pursed his lips. "As much as you can remember, Mr. Hinckley."

Mr. Hinckley sighed. "Sounded something like… sol-voch. Yeah. Sol-voch-tay."

~/~\~

Castiel and Dean left Mr. Hinckley's room and walked down the hallway.

"Well, what do you think? Mean anything to you?" Dean asked.

"Yes. It's Enochian. It means 'obey'."

Dean's brows furrowed. "Obey? Obey what?"

"I don't know." Castiel shook his head. "But the amount of pain an angel must be in not just to manifest through shrubbery but to burn—Dean… we have to find him before it's too late."

"Okay." Dean agreed. "Okay, well, look, a sign like that—Alfie can't be too far, right? So we'll just start at the bush and work our way out."

"And look for what exactly?" Castiel questioned. "Crowley could have him anywhere."

"Well, if I know Crowley, the place will be swarming with demons, so we'll just drive till we see ugly."

~/~\~

The Impala pulled up across the street from an abandoned factory.

"Wow, will you look at that? Our ninth abandoned factory." Dean commented. "Ain't that America? Hey, what do you say, this doesn't pan out, we head back to that beer-and-bacon happy hour about a mile back, huh?"

"Wait a minute, Dean." Castiel frowned. "Those derelicts, they're demons. I can see their true faces."

Dean looked through his binoculars at the men standing around an oil drum and saw another man on the balcony above them. "Crowley's got that many hell monkeys outside, he's got to have at least double inside."

"And angel warding," Castiel added. "I can feel it."

Dean sighed. "Well, you, me, and a demon knife ain't gonna cut it."

"Okay." Castiel nodded. "I'll get Sam and Angela."

"No. We don't need them." Dean stressed.

"But you just said—

"Look, if they wanted in, they'd be here, okay?" Dean snapped. "I got a better idea."

~/~\~

Dean and Castiel stood in the middle of Garth's boat. Kevin sat at a table with half of the demon tablet and a notebook.

"Slow read?" Dean asked.

Kevin turned slightly in his chair. "Slowest."

Dean looked around. "Where's Garth?"

"Supply run?" Kevin shrugged. "I don't know. Sort of lost track of when he comes and goes. You guys need help with something? I'm working here."

"You look horrible," Castiel commented bluntly.

"Yeah. Thanks." Kevin replied sarcastically.

"He's right." Dean agreed. "Are you okay, Kevin?"

"Fine." He sighed. "I'm just… in the middle of this."

"And? Any luck?" Dean asked, taking a few steps towards the table.

"Interpreting half a demon tablet? No. I got nothing."

"Alright, well, buck up," Dean clapped his hands. "'Cause, uh, we need some more of that demon TNT, ASAP."

Kevin's brows furrowed. "You used it all?"

"Yeah, so let's whip up another batch." Dean nodded.

"Sure." Kevin scoffed. "West Bank witch hazel, the skull of Egyptian calf, the tail of some random-ass newt that may or may not be extinct—

"Alright, alright, I get it," Dean rolled his eyes. "Ingredients are hard to come by, huh?"

"That's just the first three ingredients."

"Give me the list," Castiel demanded. "I'll get what we need."

Dean smiled slightly. "Huh."

Kevin rolled his eyes and started making a list.

~/~\~

Kevin was still working on the tablet while Dean paced and clapped his hands. Kevin rolled his eyes and put on his headphones. Dean just looked at his watch.

"I mean, come on," Dean muttered. "How long's it take to get a calf skull from Egypt? Kevin. Kevin." He snapped his fingers next to Kevin's face. When he got no response, Dean leaned down close to him. "Your mom's hot. I'm serious, your mom is one sexy—

Dean was interrupted by his cell phone ringing.

"Hey," he greeted. "I thought I told you to go underground."

 _"Hey."_ Benny's voice rang through. _"I am so far underground, I'm breathing through a straw, brother. Uh, look… what happened with your friend Martin back there, it wasn't supposed to go down that way."_

"I know," Dean assured. "Your granddaughter told me."

_"Dean, you did this old dog a real solid, and, uh… the way you stood up for me—_

"Well, shoe on the other foot, you would have done the same."

 _"Yeah,"_ Benny replied. _"I hate to ask for much else, but I don't suppose there's any chance you're anywhere near the Catskills?"_

"Working on a case on the other side of the country." Dean frowned. "Why? What's up?"

 _"Yeah, just hitting a little rough patch, I guess,"_ Benny admitted. _"You know, doing this whole solo thing."_

"Benny…" Dean sighed. "One day at a time, man."

Benny cleared his throat. _"You know what? Uh… A cup of coffee sure would do me good."_

"Alright, as soon as I'm done with this case, I'll, uh… I'll be there, okay?" Dean assured.

_"Yeah. Alright, brother. Thank you."_

Dean sighed and hung up. He walked over to Kevin and touched his headphones, gaining the boy's attention. "Hey. Where is your mom?"

"Somewhere safe," Kevin answered vaguely.

Dean raised his brows. "You kicked your mom to the curb?"

"She was too distracting. I couldn't focus." Kevin sighed. "The angels said I had to go to the desert to learn the Word of God, alright? So… this is my desert."

"Yeah, but your mom's your mom," Dean stressed.

"I can't enjoy a world I need to save, Dean," Kevin replied grimly. "I can enjoy it when this is all over with. For right now… there's nothing more important than this."

~/~\~

Sam and Angela sat next to each other on a bench at the park. Angela rested her head on Sam's shoulder, and he held her hand, rubbing his thumb along her palm. Castiel appeared next to the couple, causing them to jump slightly.

"Watching humanity—it never gets old, does it?" the angel pondered.

~/~\~

Dean tipped the crumbs from a bag of snack food into his mouth and threw away the bag. There was a familiar flutter of wings.

"I got what we need," Castiel commented.

"Well, it's about time." Dean retorted as he turned to face Castiel. He frowned when he saw Sam and Angela. "What are they doing here?"

"Don't worry, Dean." Sam scoffed. "Once we save Alfie, Angie and I are out."

"Oh, once _'we'_ save Alfie." Dean rolled his eyes. "Don't hurt yourself, Sam. Cas and I can handle it."

"Not according to Cas…" Angela muttered.

Dean clenched his jaw and looked at Castiel. "I told you we didn't need them."

"We need everything, Dean," Castiel stressed. "And I need the three of you, as you say, to stow your crap. Can you do that?"


	20. Torn & Frayed Part 2

The Impala pulled up to the factory and parked. Dean, Sam, Angela, and Castiel got out.

"So, there are four main points of warding—north, south, east, and west—and four Enochian symbols, like this…" the angel explained as he drew a symbol on Sam's palm. "That you need to destroy before I can enter."

"Okay, so, what?" Dean asked. "We go in, take care of the hell mooks, and you extract the angel?"

"Yes," Castiel confirmed. "After killing so many, I need to save at least this one."

"Sounds like a plan." Angela nodded.

"Okay." Dean pulled out the demon knife. "Let's do this."

"Wait. Here." Castiel handed Sam an angel blade. "This doesn't just work on angels. It kills demons, too."

"Thanks, Cas," Sam replied sincerely.

~/~\~

A demon walked towards one of his colleagues who stood next to a fire burning in a 44-gallon drum. Someone whistled and the first demon turned around and walked back to investigate. He reached the corner of the building and saw Dean and Angela standing on a short flight of stairs. Both Dean and Angela waved. The demon's eyes turned black as he moved towards the two hunters, but Sam stabbed him from behind with the angel blade.

"Well, not my most original work, but…" Dean shrugged.

Sam took the keys from the demon's body and tossed them to Dean, who used them to unlock a door to the building.

~/~\~

The three hunters walked through the factory, noticing the symbols painted on the walls. Sam used spray paint to draw an 'X' across a symbol that looked identical to the one Castiel had drawn on his hand. Dean then went one way while Sam and Angela went another.

~/~\~

A demon walked down a hallway and Samandriel's screams could be heard. As the demon passed by, Dean stepped into the hallway and sprayed an _'X'_ over the Enochian symbol.

~/~\~

Sam spray-painted over another Enochian symbol, Angela standing next to him. Suddenly, two demons grabbed Sam and Angela behind. Sam threw the first demon to the floor and stabbed it with the angel blade. Dean grabbed the demon that was choking Angela from behind and killed it with the demon knife.

Angela looked up at Dean, breathing heavily. "Thanks."

"Come on," Dean replied gruffly.

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, and Angela walked through the dingy hallways. Samandriel's screams could still be heard.

"Alfie," Dean muttered.

Suddenly, the three hunters heard footsteps behind them and turned. Two demons came towards them from the front, and Dean noticed two more coming from the other direction. Sam ignited one of their demon bombs. The hunters quickly took shelter behind the wall as the bomb decimated the demons.

~/~\~

Dean sprayed over the last Enochian symbol and looked around. "Alright, anytime now, Cas."

Suddenly, Castiel appeared, breathing heavily.

"Cas!" Angela exclaimed. "Hey! You okay?"

"It must be the sigils." Castiel groaned. "I'm not at full power."

"Sam, Angie, help me muss this crud," Dean instructed.

"No, wait!" Castiel stopped them. "There's no time. Samandriel won't last much longer."

"Cas. Here, take this." Sam handed him the angel blade as Dean tried to unlock the door.

Castiel covered his ears and saw flashbacks of an instrument being held close to his eye.

"Dean, hurry up." Angela pressed. "Come on!"

~/~\~

Castiel stepped back towards the wall behind him. Dean continued trying to open the door.

"Dean." Sam pressed.

Castiel sank down into a crouch as the flashbacks continued to plague his mind. Dean slammed a hand against the door.

"Alright. Plan 'B'." he sighed.

Angela frowned. "We have a plan 'B'?"

Dean flung himself against the door, which didn't budge. Sam followed his lead and did the same as Castiel cowered on the floor. Angela knelt down next to Castiel, trying to comfort him.

"Cas? Anytime now!" Dean exclaimed as Sam flung himself against the door again.

~/~\~

The door finally gave way and Dean and Sam entered, but Crowley had disappeared. Viggo grabbed a knife from his table of tools and grappled with Dean. Castiel and Angela entered and walked over to Samandriel, however, Castiel looked extremely weak. Another demon came in and fought with Sam. Angela and Castiel started to loosen the screws on the metal contraption that was on Samandriel's head as the boys fought. Dean straddled Viggo and raised the demon knife, but Viggo was quick to grab Dean's throat. Sam sent the demon he was fighting flying into a trolley of tools. Angela removed the metal contraption from Samandriel's head as Castiel started to experience flashbacks. Sam sent the demon he was fighting in Dean's direction, and he stood up and stabbed the demon in the back before returning his attention to Viggo.

"Wait!" he pleaded. "I know—I know things."

"Cas! Go!" Angela instructed.

Castiel and Samandriel immediately disappeared.

"Good, good." Viggo nodded. "There's so much you don't know. You need me."

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "Yeah, I don't think so." He stabbed Viggo, bright light flaring as he died.

~/~\~

Castiel cradled Samandriel's body as Sam, Dean, and Angela ran up.

"Cas! What the hell happened?" Sam asked.

"He was compromised," Castiel replied flatly. "He came at me," he added as he stood up. "I killed him in self-defense."

Angela frowned at Castiel. "Cas, are you okay?"

Blood trickled from the corner of one of his eyes, and he quickly wiped at it. "My vessel must have been damaged in the melee. I have to go. Samandriel's remains belong in Heaven."

Castiel crouched down by Samandriel's body and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Cas, wait." Dean tried to stop him.

"Thank you… for everything you've done," Castiel replied before disappearing with Samandriel.

"Cas!" Dean yelled.

~/~\~

Sam spray-painted an Enochian angel-warding symbol on the door. "Okay. That should do it. Cas can't see or hear us now."

"Okay," Angela nodded. "What the hell?"

"I know." Sam agreed.

"I told you guys something was off with him since he got back from Purgatory," Dean noted.

"So, what, you think someone's messing with him or something?" Angela asked.

"Who?"

"Angels?" Sam suggested.

Dean looked confused. "Why would the angels have him kill another angel?"

Sam just shrugged and sighed.

Dean pursed his lips. "You know what, guys? I got this. You two should go."

Sam and Angela shared a confused look before looking back at Dean.

"What?" Angela questioned.

"Don't you two have some normal life to get back to?" Dean retorted.

Sam pursed his lips and nodded. "Yeah. I-I guess we do. Um… since when did you jump on that bandwagon?"

"I don't know," Dean admitted. "I'm just tired of all the fighting, and I know you guys are, too." He added as he took a beer out of the fridge. "And, you know, maybe I'm a little bit jealous. I could never separate myself from the job like you two could. Hell, it's time for you two to be happy."

"What, you being such a big hugger and all?" Angela teased lightly. "That life… it would make up happy, but Dean, we want you to be a part of your niece's life. And with everything staring down at us… I don't know. There's a lot to be done."

"Huh." Dean murmured. "Well, I do know this—whatever you guys decide, decide. Both feet in or both feet out. Anything in between is what gets you dead."

"Yeah." Sam agreed. "Um, Angie and I are gonna take a walk, and, uh… talk about some things."

Sam and Angela walked out of the cabin, leaving Dean by himself. The eldest hunter sighed heavily.

~/~\~

Dean took out his phone and dialed, biting his lip nervously.

 _"Dean."_ Benny's voice rang through. _"Thank you mightily, bud. I'm in a hard way here. How close are you?"_

"I'm sorry, man." Dean sighed heavily. "I, um… I'm not gonna make it."

_"You mean now, or…?"_

Dean closed his eyes. "Listen, Benny. Everything you've done for me, I will never forget, but, uh… This is it."

 _"End of the line?"_ Benny asked sadly.

"End of the line." Dean murmured.

Benny forced a chuckle. _"Yeah, well, I never liked these cell phones anyway."_

"You, uh… you stay good, alright?"

 _"You too, Dean. And, uh… Thanks for the ride."_ Benny replied sincerely.

"Yeah, man. Adios." He murmured before hanging up.

~/~\~

Sam set two bottles of beer and a bowl of food down on the coffee table in front of Dean, who sat next to Angela on the couch. Sam sat down on the other side of Angela and uncapped his beer. Angela held Sam's free hand and rested her head on Dean's shoulder comfortingly. Dean smiled a ghost of a smile and pressed a brotherly kiss to Angela's temple.


	21. LARP & the Real Girl Part 1

Dean looked over at Sam and Angela as he drove. "You guys okay?"

"I have to pee. Again." Angela complained, looking down at her swollen stomach.

Sam sighed heavily. "We have the most powerful weapon we've ever had against demons, and we can't find a way to use it."

"Yeah, well, Kevin's on it. And when he finds something, he'll call." Dean assured. "So, we wait. Look, we have all had a rough go of it these past couple of weeks. And, uh… I know what you and Angie gave up wasn't easy. Maybe we ought to take the night off—go see a flick, have some fun." Dean suggested. "You remember fun, don't you, guys?"

Sam's phone started ringing, interrupting the conversation. "Kevin, what do you got?" he asked.

 _"Hey."_ Garth's voice rang through.

Sam's brows furrowed. "Garth. Hey."

_"Why don't you grab a piece of paper?"_

"Really? Okay." Sam nodded. "Uh, yeah. Thanks, man."

 _"Yeah, alright,"_ Garth replied.

"Oh, wait, hey—hey, Garth." Sam rushed. "Garth, are you there?"

_"Yeah."_

"H-how'd you know where we are?" Sam asked curiously.

 _"Yeah, you've been Garthed,"_ Garth replied.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Look, it's bad enough that you're tracking us, but it's even worse when you say we've been 'Garthed'." He explained. "Yeah." He added before hanging up. "Okay, we got to lose the GPS on our phones, because Garth has been tracking us, and other hunters, apparently, yo assign cases."

"Smart. A total Bobby move." Angela nodded. "What's the deal?"

"Uh, well, it's close—Farmington Hills, Michigan," Sam replied. "Dude got ripped limb from limb inside his locked apartment."

"That's not good," Dean commented.

"Working a case," Sam muttered. "As long as we're waiting on Kevin, that'll be our fun."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked into the apartment, flashing their FBI badges as they approached the Sheriff.

"Sheriff." Sam greeted. "Special Agent Taggart. These are my partners, Special Agents Rosewood and Livingstone."

"FBI?" the Sheriff raised his brows. "You guys are quick. Haven't even got the body out yet."

"Well, the FBI is all work…" Dean trailed off as he looked at Sam. "No play."

"You know, why don't you give me the tour while my partners look around?" Sam suggested.

The Sheriff nodded. "Sure thing. Follow me."

Sam followed the Sheriff, while Dean and Angela went into the kitchen. Dean took out his EMF meter.

~/~\~

Sam and the Sheriff stood in the victim's bedroom. The victim's torso was still on the bed under the sheet, but the sheet was flat against the mattress where his limbs should have been. The entire room was painted with blood.

"Vic's name was Ed Nelson, 31 years old, an insurance-claim adjuster." The Sheriff explained. "He lived alone, which was a real shocker, considering his place is full of toys."

"So, what happened?" Sam asked.

"No sign of forced entry. Near as we can tell, he was tied up and pulled apart." The Sheriff replied. "Died of the shock or massive blood loss. Dealer's choice on that one."

"So, what about these chains?" Sam asked.

"That's actually chain mail."

Sam raised his brows. "Seriously?"

"Yes." The Sheriff chuckled. "We did find clear rope-burn marks on his wrists and ankles."

One of Ed's arms was on the floor, covered with a bloodstained cloth. Sam pulled back the cloth, revealing a black tree symbol.

"Huh." He muttered. "So, anything… missing from the body?"

"You mean aside from the arms and legs?" the Sheriff asked. "Uh… nope. All there—twig and berries, too."

"What about the neighbors? Did they hear anything weird?" Sam questioned.

"Uh, neighbor downstairs said she got woke up in the middle of the night by the sound of horses stomping their feet and galloping." The Sheriff explained. "We didn't find any hoof prints. She probably heard a TV or was having a bad dream. Or, she was high as balls." He added. "Fortunately, we got a real lead off his cell phone."

The Sheriff and Sam walked back into the main room and the Sheriff looked at his notebook.

"According to the phone records, Ed's last call was from a guy called Lance Jacobsen…"

Dean and Angela came out of the kitchen. Sam looked questioningly at them and they just shook their heads.

"An accountant, also 30s, also lives alone." The Sheriff finished.

"How is he a lead?" Sam asked.

"The two of them talked together for 15 minutes, and then Lance sent Ed here all kinds of angry texts." The Sheriff replied. "Some of them were your typical threat stuff, but some of them were a little weird."

Angela's brows furrowed. "Weird how?"

"Like, uh…" the Sheriff looked at his notebook. " _'You shall bleed for your crimes against us.'_ Followed by the emoticon of a skull. And, uh, this beauty— _'I am a mage. I will destroy you.'_ These kids today with their texting and murder." He shook his head. "My men just brought Lance into the station for questioning."

"Well, we're gonna need to take first crack at the suspect," Sam replied.

The Sheriff shrugged. "It's your world, Agent."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked into the interrogation room and sat across from Lance.

"Lance Jacobsen?" Sam asked. "We're with the FBI."

"The FBI?" Lance asked. "I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe Ed's dead." He started to cry.

"Lance?" Dean sighed. "Lance, just—just breathe. Just breathe. You're fine."

Lance stopped crying for a moment, but the immediately continued to sob.

"We just need to ask you a few questions." Angela cut in gently. "Try to calm down for me, hon."

Lance nodded and wiped his eyes.

"We want to know about the, uh—the texts you sent Ed last night," Dean noted.

"I told them when they brought me in those texts weren't from me," Lance assured.

"Well, your phone and Ed's phone say otherwise," Sam argued.

"No," Lance sighed. "I mean, they were from me, but they weren't from me, me."

Sam, Dean, and Angela gave each other confused looks.

"Did you really think that sentence was gonna clear things up?" Dean raised his brows.

Lance sighed deeply. "I'm sorry. This is all a big misunderstanding. Those texts messages were from Greyfox the Mystic to Thargrim the Difficult." He explained, only receiving an uncomprehending look from Dean. "Our characters in Moondoor. Moondoor is a game that Ed and I play. We're LARPers. Live-action role-playing?"

"Right. LARPing." Dean nodded. "Good times."

"We play Moondoor every other weekend at Heritage Park," Lance explained. "All the info about it is on our website."

"You have a website?" Angela asked.

"Yeah." Lance nodded. "One of the players designed it. In fact, if you log onto the site, they should have posted pictures from last night's feast. I was there all night."

"What does any of this have to do with the texts?" Sam asked, confused.

"I play a character named Greyfox the Mystic. I'm a very, very powerful mage in the game."

Sam nodded. "Okay, uh, very powerful. Go on."

"Ed is… Ed was Thargrim the Difficult of the Elder Forest, son of Hargrim and Bouphin, brother to—he was the Lancelot to my Merlin." Lance explained.

"Ah." Dean nodded. "Well, if you guys were so tight, then why the threatening messages?"

"We were named to the queen's honor guard, in anticipation of the coming Battle of Kingdoms this weekend," Lance replied. "I thought he broke protocol, so I called Ed after game hours and accused him of cheating, and then I challenged him to a duel."

"A duel?" Angela frowned.

Lance nodded. "Wands and swords at dawn."

"Now, when you say, 'wands' do you mean magic wands?" Dean asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"No. Un-magic wands, Agent. Because what I really want in a duel is an un-magic wand." Lance sassed. "Yes! Fake wands! It's a game! I can't believe it." He looked up at the ceiling. "Oh, ye Gods! Thargrim the Difficult has fallen!" he started to sob again.

"L-Lance—Lance. Hang in there, champ." Dean comforted.

Sam helped Angela out of the chair and the three hunters walked out of the interrogation room.

~/~\~

"So? Do you guys believe _'Dungeons & Dragons'?"_ Sam sighed.

"He didn't put a whammy on us." Dean retorted. "Those weren't crocodile tears, man. That's not our guy."

"So, what are we looking at?" Angela questioned.

"You saw the chain mail. This could be _'Fifty Shades of Greyhound'_ for all we know." Dean muttered.

"Alright, well, let's check out the Moondoor site, see if Lance's story checks out," Sam suggested.

Sam sat down in front of a computer and typed _'Moondoor LARP'_ into a search engine. He clicked on the link to the Moondoor website. "Welcome to Moondoor, Michigan's largest LARPing game."

"And I thought we needed to get out more," Dean muttered.

Sam clicked on _'Picture Gallery,'_ then on _'Festival of the Endless Night.'_ A picture appeared of Lance dressed in costume and holding a tankard, followed by one of him flanked by two women, one of whom was kissing him on the cheek.

"There's our guy." Angela nodded.

"Huh." Dean chuckled. "It actually looks kind of awesome."

Sam and Angela gave Dean a look, and he quickly wiped the smile off his face.

"Alright, there's a video," Sam noted as he clicked on the link.

 _"Moondoor."_ The narrator started. " _A world of intrigue, honor, passion. Four kingdoms—followers of the Moon, Elves, Warriors of yesteryear, and the dreaded Shadow Orcs. All will fight on the fields of never in the biannual Battle of Kingdoms. Pick up a sword or a mace. Take control of Moondoor and defend the current ruler… the queen of Moons."_

Angela's brows furrowed as the queen showed up on the video. "Wait, is that… Charlie?"

~/~\~

A coroner wheeled Lance's body away on a stretcher as the three hunters watched.

"You're gonna want to see this." The Sheriff commented.

Sam, Dean, and Angela followed the Sheriff to a computer and the Sheriff played video footage of Lance in the interrogation room scratching at his arm and coughing up blood.

"God forbid he was contagious. I'm gonna go dip myself in hand sanitizer." The Sheriff muttered before walking off.

"No EMF, no hex bags, no sulfur. I got nada." Dean sighed. "You?"

"Watch the video again," Angela muttered, pressing replay. "There. See that?" she zoomed in on the tree symbol on Lance's arm.

"Same as Ed's." Sam nodded. "I don't know. Maybe they had matching tattoos. I mean, they were brothers in arms. You recognize it from anything?"

"A Tim Burton movie?" Dean scoffed. "Aside from the, uh, mark of the creepy here, the only thing these guys have in common is LARPing."

"Lucky for us, we know the queen," Angela replied.

~/~\~

Renaissance music played throughout the medieval camp. People in costumes pretended to fight with mock weapons, a woman played the harp, and many other talked and strolled outside tents. Colorful banners bore various crests and signs. Dean, Sam, and Angela, in their FBI apparel, looked at the scene and then at each other.

"I, Boltar the Furious, bind you to this stock, so that all of Moondoor may see you for what you are—a thief!" a nearby man exclaimed.

The three hunters paused to watch the scene.

"My Shadow Orc brethren will descend from the Black Hills and the tents of Mo…" the man in stocks started before his fake teeth fell out of his mouth.

"Uh, hold," Boltar commanded.

Boltar picked up the orc's fake teeth and brushed them off.

"Thanks, Gerry. Sorry." The orc apologized.

"Yeah, no problem, Monty."

Boltar put the orc's fake teeth back into his mouth. The orc gave Boltar a thumbs-up.

"Resume!" Boltar exclaimed.

"And the tents of Moondoor will be bathed in blood as we unseat the queen of Moons from the throne she stole from the rightful heir—the Shadow King!" the orc exclaimed. "And you—

Boltar threw a red bean bag at the orc, hitting him in the forehead. "Silentium! Serve your time with honor, heathen. And if you need to use the chamber pot, stomp your feet thrice." He replied before walking away.

"Excuse me." Dean stopped him. "Hi. Uh, you are a LARPer, yeah?"

"I prefer the term 'interactive literaturist'." Boltar corrected.

"Right." Dean nodded. "Uh, I am Special Agent Rosewood. These are Special Agents Taggart and Livingstone."

"Hold!" Boltar exclaimed. "Um, guys, we're not doing the whole genre-mash-up thing this weekend. We only do that every third month."

"The…" Dean trailed off.

"Come again?" Angela raised her brows.

"Your fake badges, the cheap apparel. It's very cool." Boltar replied. "I get it. Your characters are FBI agents that somehow traveled to Moondoor, but I'm telling you it's just—it's straight-up Moondoor this weekend."

"These aren't fake badges," Sam assured.

"Uh, yeah, they are, and they're…" Boltar took Sam's badge. "Very good, but, um, well, the ID number shifted to 10 digits with, uh, two letters mixed in at the end of the year, and, uh, the seal's from last month. Really good work." He handed Sam his badge back. "It's just—it's a tournament weekend, okay guys, so you got to follow the rules. If there's no rules—chaos." He explained. "Resume! If you would like to join the army of Moons, the queen is always on the lookout for new squires."

"Yes. Right." Dean nodded. "Uh, we would like to see your queen now, please."

"Well, the queen's calendar is booked up months in advance. But if you wish to witness what's in store for you in her army, her highness is overseeing new squires on the pitch as we speak."

~/~\~

"Greyfox and Thargrim are missing." Charlie addressed the crowd. "We pray to the goddess they have no fallen victim of foul play. In their absence, the honor guard's ranks are weakened. To join…" she trailed off when she noticed Sam, Dean, and Angela. "Oh, blerg. Uh… the queen needs some royal 'we' time. Talk amongst thyselves."

Charlie walked briskly away to a large maroon tent. Sam, Dean, and Angela followed her, but Dean stopped to pick up a foam-covered sword. "Nice balance."

Angela turned to look at Dean. "Dean Winchester!" she snapped. "Come on."

"Yes, ma'am," Dean muttered, following Angela and Sam, the sword still in his hands.

~/~\~

The tent was decorated with a rug, small statues, lanterns, and a table with fancy chairs. A map with figurines positioned on it was on another table.

"Charlie." Sam tried to stop her.

"Charlie Bradbury is dead." She replied, putting one of her leather arm-guards into a bag. "She died a year ago. You killed her. My name is Carrie Heinlein. Oh, and guess what. Now you killed her, too."

"Okay, listen, uh…" Angela started.

"No, I buried myself. Then Dick Roman went down, his company belly-up, and I figure, 'Hey, it's all good,' and I was fine." Charlie interrupted. "I got my life back. Now you're here, and if you guys are here, monsters are here. Why do I have such bad luck? What am I—some kind of monster magnet? Is there such thing as a monster magnet?" she rambled. "You know what? Don't answer that. I don't care. What I care about is not getting my other arm broken… or dying. So…" she grabbed her bag and crown. "I'm dropping my sword and walking off the stage, bitched." She added as she put the crown on Dean's head on her way to the door. "Have fun storming the castle."

"Charlie. Charlie!" Dean stopped her. Greyfox and Thargrim—uh, Ed and Lance—they're not missing. They're dead."

~/~\~

Charlie, Angela, Sam, and Dean were seated around the table.

"Drawn and quartered and bleeding out?" Charlie frowned. "Please stop talking again. So, what do you think did this?"

"Well, aside from the, uh, mark…" Dean slid a photo over to Charlie. "And them both being LARPers, there's really not much else to go on."

Charlie picked up the photo of the tree symbol. "Wait, I've seen this before. It's a Celtic magic symbol. At least it was in my favorite video game." She explained. "Does that help? Can I go now?"

"It's a start, but no," Sam replied. "Um, listen. What can you tell us about Ed and Lance?"

Charlie shrugged. "Good guys. Two of the best members of the queen's ever-shrinking army."

Angela raised her brows. "Ever-shrinking?"

"My kingdom has had a lot of bad luck lately, probably 'cause of me, but…" Charlie picked up the photo again. "Maybe it's tied to this. A month ago, one of my guys had both her ankles broken before battle. Before that, I had three people have hospital-worthy accidents while at home. You think there's any connection there?"

"Did they have any enemies in common?" Angela questioned.

"In real life? No. Everyone gets along famously." Charlie answered. "In the game though…" she got up and walked over to the map, the three hunters following behind. "They had tons of enemies. Red reps the followers of the Moon—my peeps. Green's for Elves, blue's for Warrior of Yesteryear, and black's for the Shadow Orcs—total d-bags. This weekend is the Battle of the Kingdoms to see who wears the Forever Crown. This weekend, each faction is definitely an enemy of me and mine."

"You know, if you, uh…" Dean gestured to some of the red figurines. "Move your archers back and your broad swordsmen to the west…"

"Huh. Fight the warriors." Charlie nodded.

"Yep."

"Hey, good call."

"Thanks." Dean smiled.

"What about the southern wall?"

"Guys." Sam deadpanned.

"Yeah?" Dean asked, noticing Sam and Angela's unamused faces. "Right. Sorry."

"So, maybe, uh… someone from one of the other kingdoms got ahold of real magic and started using it to weaken your army," Angela suggested.

"But why not just come after me? And why the escalation?"

"Alright, we will canvass all kingdoms," Dean interjected. "You should get out of here. We don't want you to get hurt."

"Whoa, wait." Sam frowned. "Charlie knows Moondoor a lot better than we do. We need her."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Sam, I think we can take care of a bunch of accountants with foam swords."

"We need all the help we can get, Dean." Angela agreed with Sam. "People are dying."

"My point, which is usually yours, is that she should get somewhere safe and get back to a normal life," Dean argued.

"Hey, I am right here, and I want to leave." Charlie cut in.

"Thank you." Dean sighed.

"But the queen…" Charlie sighed. "She has to stay. I mean, Sam and Angie are right. People are dying. That can't happen on my watch. And you know what? I am tired of running. I like my life here. I'm gonna stay and fight for it."

Sam's phone started to ring and he quickly answered it. "Yeah. Okay. Thanks." He nodded, hanging up. "So, the toxicology report came back on Lance. Nothing. But the medical examiner said his body showed clear signs that he was killed by belladonna."

"The porn star?" Dean and Charlie asked simultaneously.

There was a long pause between everyone.

"The poison." Sam corrected.

"Oh." Dean and Charlie muttered.

Sam cleared his throat. "Um, however, they couldn't find a trace of it in his system."

"Just like they couldn't find ropes in Ed's apartment." Dean sighed.

"Charlie, can we borrow your laptop?" Angela asked.

"There are no laptops in Moondoor," Charlie replied. Sam and Dean just spread their hands. "What? There are rules. But, there is a tech tent four tents down."

"Okay." Sam nodded. "How about you guys go canvas, and Angie and I will dig into these accidents and this mark?" he suggested. "Come on, babe." Sam took Angela's hand and quickly led her out of the tent.

"Okay. I'm gonna need the full wiki on where you guys have been. Also, holy crap, Angie's pregnant!" Charlie looked up at Dean. "But first, you're gonna have to ditch the suit if you're gonna walk and talk with the queen." She smirked.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela walked into the tech tent and sat down in front of a computer screen. On the other side of Sam was a costumed young blonde in front of another screen.

"Excuse me," Sam smiled. "Do you know if there's a directory of online players?"

"Yeah, it's on the website. All you need is an account to access it."

"Um, thanks, uh…" Sam trailed off.

"Maria." She smiled. "I mean, Gholandria the Wicked."

~/~\~

Charlie and Dean walked out of the tent. Dean exchanged his foam sword for a wooden one leaning outside the tent. A woman bowed to Charlie.

"Your majesty." The woman smiled.

"You always been into LARPing?" Dean asked as they walked.

"Nah. For role-play, I prefer tabletop. D&D, Gamma World, Car Wars. That's why Cthulhu invented multi-sided dice, right?" she smiled. "But a buddy of mine was into LARPing. Went for him, stayed for the chicks." She added, earning a laugh from Dean. "It's not just that, though. It's an escape. I mean, here, I'm queen, a hero. Out there in the real world, I'm just hacking out code and chugging coffee all day long."

Dean stopped and turned to face Charlie. "Now wait a second."

"Your majesty." A passing woman smiled at Charlie.

"If it wasn't for you, we would have never been able to take out Dick Roman." Dean continued. "Out there in the real world, you are a hero."

Charlie just smiled and nodded.

"My queen." Another passing woman greeted flirtatiously.

Dean raised his brows. "I'm noticing a lot of these maidens checking you out."

"What? I can't shut this down." Charlie smirked, putting a hand on Dean's arm. "It's good to be queen."

~/~\~

Maria eyed Sam and Angela's screen, which showed case files for various people. Sam frowned and looked at Maria.

"It's—it's all just part of the game."

Maria smirked. "Genre mash-up. Cool." She leaned over. "Hey, I know her. That's Phyllis. Heard she broke her ankles or something."

Angela's brows furrowed. "Wow. It looks like she got hobbled."

"Oh, and that's Jamie." Maria pointed to the screen. "He said someone broke into his house, beat him with his own mace, but—

"No signs of forced entry." Sam read from the file. "Uh, do you recognize…" he clicked on a file. "This from Moondoor? I—I think it's Celtic."

"No." Maria shook her head. "Sorry. But I'll look it up."

"Thanks," Sam replied.

~/~\~

An attractive young woman with elf ears looked at a photo of the tree symbol. She shook her head. "I haven't seen anything like it in my travels throughout the realms, your highness."

"Alright. Well, if you think of anything, come see me in my tent." Charlie smiled. "Anytime." She added flirtatiously.

The young woman smiled and left. Dean looked at Charlie, who just spread her hand briefly.

"Scratch the Elves off the list." Charlie sighed.

~/~\~

"Mace attacks, hobbling, medieval poisoning… somebody's targeting the queen's people," Angela noted.

"No, not only them. See…" Maria pointed. "Those four are with the Queen, but these two—they're Elves. And these two are Warriors. Only group not to get hit—

~/~\~

"The Shadow Orcs. Last group on the list, impossible to find."

"Wait, I know where we can find one," Dean replied. "I met him on the way it."

"Perfect." Charlie nodded. "Maybe he can tell us what the frack this thing is."

~/~\~

"It's, uh… The Tree of Pain." Sam noted. "Uh, if you are tagged with this mark, you will be a victim of fairy magic."

"Wait." Maria frowned. "Fairy magic can be bad?"

~/~\~

Charlie and Dean walked towards the stocks.

"Death to the queen! Death to the usurper!" Monty the orc shouted. Dean drew his sword. "Death to her manservant!" Monty added.

Dean hit the stocks with his sword near Monty's head. Charlie gave Dean a look.

"What?" Dean shrugged. "There's no laptops in Moondoor. There's no Geneva Convention, either. Hey." He took out a photo of the symbol and held it up in front of Monty. "Have you seen this?"

"Yeah, of course," Monty replied. He frowned when he realized his mistake. "No. No, I. haven't seen it."

Dean put his sword under Monty's chin and raised his brows.

"Okay, it's the Shadow King's family crest," Monty admitted. "You'll never find him in the Black Hills."

"Black Hills?" Dean asked Charlie.

"The forest behind the playground." She replied. "Come on."

~/~\~

Sam had his phone to his ear. He sighed, hit a button on the phone, and pocketed it. "Alright, we gotta go." He told Angela. "Thank you very much, uh, Gholandria."

Maria beamed. "Anytime. I've never done genre-mash-up play before. That was fun."

"First time for everything, right?" Sam shrugged as he and Angela got up to leave.

"First time for a lot of things if you want to come find my tent later." Maria flirted.

"Hi, uh, pregnant wife, right here. I'd appreciate if you didn't flirt with my husband right in front of me." Angela narrowed her eyes. "Come on, babe." She took Sam's hand in hers.

~/~\~

Charlie and Dean walked along a path. Gerry, aka, Boltar, walked towards them.

"My queen." He greeted. "There you are. I've been searching everywhere for you. Has this… oaf attempted to harm you with his blasphemous metalworks?" he eyed Dean suspiciously.

"Boltar, he's with me," Charlie assured. "This is my new… handmaiden. We seek an audience with the Shadow King."

Gerry frowned. "Uh, these hills are not safe. I beseech you, my queen, you should return to camp."

"He's right… your worshipfulness." Dean agreed. "Uh, may I have a moment before you take your leavings?"

"Mm." Charlie nodded.

The two walked a short distance away.

"Handmaiden?" Dean deadpanned.

"He was suspicious. I panicked." She defended.

"Alright, look," Dean started. "You take my phone. Find Sam and Angie. We'll find the shadow dorks."

"But I can help," Charlie argued.

"Yeah, you are helping by finding Sam and Angie," Dean assured. "Go."

Charlie huffed and walked away. Dean turned to Gerry.

"Lead the way to the Orcs, Bolty." Dean smiled slightly.

"Speak when spoken to, handmaiden," Gerry instructed.


	22. LARP & the Real Girl Part 2

Dean and Gerry walked through the camp.

Dean sighed. "Well, that was a bust. You sure the Shadow Orcs are even out there?"

"For a handmaiden, you certainly ask many questions." Gerry retorted. "Yes, I am positive. They're just very good at hiding themselves. But…" he put a finger on Dean's chest. "A plan has sprung to mind that will draw the Shadow King to us. We shall take the Shadow Orc held in stock, offer him up as a prisoner exchange."

"Draw him out and beat him down." Dean nodded. "I like your style, Boltar."

"I shall retrieve the prisoner. You tend to the queen's laundry and chamber pots, then meet me back here." Gerry instructed before leaving.

Sam and Angela walked up to Dean.

"Nice outfit," Angela smirked.

Dean looked at his outfit, then at Angela. "You love it."

"Right." Angela giggled.

"Well, while you were, uh, playing dress-up," Sam started. "We found out…" he took out a piece of paper. "That the mark…"

"Belongs to the Shadow Orcs." Dean smiled.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "And they're using fairy magic."

Sam showed Dean the print-out of information about the Tree of Pain on the Celtic Magic website.

"The Tree of Pain. _Awesome."_ Dean scoffed.

"Whoever gets marked gets ganked," Angela explained.

"Alright, how do we stop it?" Dean asked.

"Find whoever cast the spell, and take them out," Sam replied. "No more whammy, no more marks. No more marks, no more dead bodies."

"Okay, well, perfect. Our, uh, pal Boltar the chatty is getting the, uh, Shadow Orc prisoner. We're gonna do a little prisoner exchange, try to draw the king out of hiding." Dean smiled. "It was my idea." He added. "Where's Charlie?"

Angela frowned. "She was with you."

"No, I sent her to you guys," Dean replied before walking off. "Charlie? Your Highness?" he called out as he opened the flaps to her tent. "Charlie?" he called out again. "You know what—she's got my phone. Try it."

Sam sighed and called Dean's number.

~/~\~

Gerry, Monty, Angela, Dean, and Sam walked through the dark forest with their flashlights.

"I swear, if anything's happened to her…" Dean muttered.

"Dude, we checked all the tents. We'll talk to these guys. We'll find her." Sam assured.

They all stopped at a small clearing.

"Ca-caw! Ca-caw!" Monty called out.

"Ca-caw! Ca-caw!" a voice replied.

Three orcs in cloaks walked into the clearing, carrying flashlights.

"Greetings, heretics." Gerry greeted.

One of the orcs had the Tree of Pain symbol on a crest on his shirt. "You should kneel before me, cur."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Alright, why don't you let me—

"Silence!" Gerry snapped at Dean. "Now, before we exchange, a few announcements."

The orc took out his fake teeth and walked closer to Gerry.

"Um, there is a peewee-league soccer playoff game tomorrow on the alpha field," Gerry explained. "We don't want to freak out the mundanes, so we got to move the Battle of Kingdoms to the beta field."

Dean rolled his eyes again. "Alright. That's it. You know what? I'm gonna do this the old-fashioned way." He drew his gun.

"Dean, don't." Angela sighed.

"What?"

"Come on." Sam shook his head.

"No, I'm—

"I told you there are—

"Shut up." Dean glared at Gerry. He walked over to the orc and raised his gun. "Alright. I need _real_ answers. This here is a _real_ gun, see?" he shot at the ground.

"Whoa! Whoa!" the orc held up his hands. "Hold! Hold! Geez!"

Dean pointed the gun at the orc. "Now, start talking. Where's the queen?!"

"I don't know!"

"Yeah, well, your little family crest there tells a different story, pal." Dean gestured at the orc's shirt.

The orc looked down at his shirt, brows furrowed. "This?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

"Uh, I got sick last month after this thing just appeared…" he started as he pushed up his sleeve to reveal the Tree of Pain on his forearm. "On my arm. I thought it looked really cool, so I turned it into my family crest. I mean, after my dermatologist said it wasn't malignant."

"Dean, he's not our guy." Angela cut in. "He's just another vic."

"My name is Max Hilby. I'm an attorney. I have no idea where the queen is, but if you let me go right now, I won't press charges. I promise." The orc rambled. "Um…" he took off his fake ears and his gauntlet. "Here. Uh, take them. Please."

"Go." Dean huffed. "Go! Go!"

The three orcs quickly ran away. Dean turned to face Angela, Sam, Gerry, and Monty.

"What? _What?"_ Dean asked indignantly.

Monty took out his teeth. "Is the queen really in danger?" he asked, earning a nod from Dean. "Okay, we got… there was something odd down by the creek. It's this weird tent. It's not one of ours. It's kind of creepy."

"Why are you being so helpful all of a sudden?" Angela asked.

"Look, I harbor an _epic_ crush on the queen," Monty admitted. "Maybe you could put in a good word for me when you find her."

Dean pursed his lips. "I don't think you're her type."

Dean walked off in the direction that Monty indicated. Sam, Angela, and Gerry followed.

"What? You mean she's not into orcs?" Monty asked.

~/~\~

Gerry, Dean, Angela, and Sam were walking through the forest.

"Why don't you take off, Bolty?" Dean suggested. "We got it from here."

"A handmaiden and two time travelers rescue the queen?" Gerry scoffed. "I think not, kind lady."

"Look, this isn't a game, Boltar." Angela cut in. "The queen, our friend, is in real danger. You could get hurt."

"I will not leave my queen in peril," Gerry replied firmly.

They came to a plain canvas tent with two lights burning on long poles outside.

"Look there." Gerry pointed.

"We haven't checked that tent," Dean muttered.

~/~\~

Dean, Angela, Sam, and Gerry walked into the tent. Charlie and Gilda sat on the edge of the bed, kissing. Dean cleared his throat and Charlie and Gilda broke apart.

"Guys." Charlie hissed. "If the tent is rockin', don't come a-knockin'."

Gilda got to her feet. "No, it's him! My master! Run!"

The three hunters looked at Gerry, who pushed back his hood.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela pointed their guns at Gerry.

"No guns in Moondoor." Gerry reminded. "Gilda, if you please?"

Looking sad, Gilda waved her hand. There was the sound of a chicken clucking and the guns turned into feathers, which fluttered to the ground.

"Well, now what, Gerry?" Dean asked.

"My name is Boltar the Furious!" he shouted. "My plan was, after getting rid of all my competition, to win the battle tomorrow, convincing the queen that I should be her king."

Charlie sighed, rolled her eyes, and looked at Gilda.

"But then you three idiots showed up, and I was forced to improvise." Gerry continued. "Rescue the damsel in distress from orcs, become king, kill you three—that'll work, too."

"So, why did you go from hobbling to murder?" Sam questioned.

"Greyfox and Thargrim became part of the honor guard. They got close to the queen, but they did it by breaking the rules—paying off other players with real money, rather than Moondoor currency." Gerry explained. "They were cheating."

"Oh, and using magic isn't?" Dean scoffed.

"Magic is a part of Moondoor." Gerry defended.

"What is your problem?" Charlie interjected. "Why would you hurt people? This is just a game."

"There is no game! There is only Moondoor!" he shouted. "I came here to be different, to get away from my crappy life, to be a hero, and guess what?"

"What, you were a loser in the real world, and you're a loser here? Shocker." Dean retorted.

"Would a loser track down a real book of spells and compel a fairy to do his bidding?" Gerry questioned.

"It depends," Angela replied. "How'd you get it?"

"eBay," Gerry admitted.

Sam nodded and cleared his throat. "Look. It doesn't have to be like this, Boltar. Just hand over the book of spells we can work this out."

"This will all work out…" Gerry picked up a fake sword. "After I remove you from the playing field and wipe her memory. Gilda?"

Gilda sighed and closed her eyes. The fake sword in Gerry's hand into a real one. Sam, Dean, and Angela moved.

"Angie go stand with Charlie," Sam instructed.

Angela nodded, knowing better than to argue with Sam. She quickly walked over to stand with Charlie and Gilda.

"Gilda, the big one," Gerry commanded.

Gilda regretfully waved her hand and a suit of armor grabbed Sam around the neck from behind. Charlie charged at Gerry with a fake sword, but he hurled her onto the bed. Dean swung at Gerry with a fake sword, but Gerry's sword cut Dean's in half. Gilda and Angela went to Charlie as Sam struggled with the suit of armor. Gerry struck at Dean, who used a metal sword to block Gerry's attack.

"He can't stop him," Gilda warned. "The book—you must destroy it."

Dean punched Gerry and a book fell to the floor. Sam gasped as the suit of armor continued to strangle him from behind. Charlie dashed for the book.

Charlie tossed the book to Angela, who caught it, and stabbed the book with a dagger she pulled from her boot. A bright light started to shine from the book.

"No!" Gerry cried.

The suit of armor fell to the ground, freeing Sam and the sword in Gerry's hand turned back into a fake one. He swung it at Dean, who caught it and took it away from him before knocking him out. Gerry fell to the floor. Gilda walked over to Charlie while Angela walked over to Sam.

"Are you okay?" Charlie asked Gilda.

"Baby, are you okay?" Angela asked worriedly.

Sam nodded, catching his breath. "I-I'm good."

"I'm free of the spell." Gilda smiled. "You saved me. The Hollow Forest is forever in your debt. I must return to those green hills now. I will take my former master with me. He must face a fairy tribunal for his sins."

"Wait." Charlie stopped her.

Charlie kissed Gilda softly, who then disappeared in a twinkle and shimmer of lights. Gerry's body seemed to sink into the floor as it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Call me… maybe?" Charlie asked.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela were in their regular clothes as they walked beside Charlie. Sam and Angela walked hand-in-hand.

"So, what's next for you, Charlie?" Angela asked. "New town? New identity?"

"If the last 24 hours taught me anything, it's that escaping isn't what it used to be," Charlie replied. "No more replacement characters for me. I got to face reality from now on. Sadly, reality actually includes monsters, but what are you gonna do? If I can ever be of help to you guys, let me know."

"Will do." Dean nodded. "And you, uh… you're good?"

"Apart from the fact that you blocked me from banging a fairy, and I'm about to lose my crown in battle, thanks to my army being decimated?" Charlie laughed. "Yeah. Totally good." She nodded. Charlie turned to Angela and smiled. "By the way, I never congratulated you on your baby. You know, Charlotte is an excellent name." she winked.

Angela giggled and hugged Charlie tightly. "Thank you, Charlie."

"And if you ever get tired of these boys… let me know." Charlie teased as she pulled away. "Smell you later, bitches." She added before walking away.

Dean cleared his throat. "So, what's, uh… what's next? 'Cause no fun, right?" he asked. "Look, before you say anything, I—I—I get it. No amount of fun is gonna help you guys get over what you gave up. You just, uh… you need time, right?"

Sam and Angela looked at each other, then back at Dean.

"Yeah. Thanks." Sam nodded. "And you're right. Having fun won't help me and Angie. It'll help all of us. Shall we?"

~/~\~

Two armies of costumed LARPers were lined up facing each other. Dean, in costume and wearing a long-haired wig, addressed Charlie's army. Half his face was painted red and part of the other half painted white. He wore two orc ears on a string around his neck.

"And dying in your beds many years from now," Dean started. "Would you be willing to trade all the days, from this day to that, for one chance—

Sam and Angela stood in costume next to Charlie. Angela wore a dark purple medieval-style gown and Sam had his hair in a ponytail. Two opposite quarters of Sam's face were painted red and a further quarter white.

Charlie's brows furrowed. "Isn't that the speech from—

"It's the only one he knows." Sam pursed his lips.

"Just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they will never take…"

"Hold!" a squire yelled.

A frisbee sailed onto the ground in the space between the two armies and a man ran after it.

"Uh, my bad." The man muttered, picking up the frisbee. "Sorry!" he added as he ran away.

Dean turned back to the army and nodded to the squire, who gave him a thumbs-up.

Dean raised his fake sword. "Our freedom!"


	23. As Time Goes By Part 1

Sam, Dean, and Angela were in yet another dingy motel room. Dean was tying his boot laces and Sam stood at the mirror while Angela sat at the kitchenette table.

"I'm ready for this baby to come out," Angela complained, looking down at her swollen stomach. She was about eight months along at this point, and she was ready to meet her baby girl.

Sam walked over and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I know, baby." He comforted.

Suddenly, the three hunters immediately looked over when the heard a noise in the closet. After a few moments, Henry fell out of the closet, looking between the brothers.

"Which one of you is John Winchester?"

~/~\~

"Please, time is of the essence!" Henry stressed. "Which of you is John Winchester?"

Sam's brows furrowed in confusion. "Uh, neither."

"That's impossible." Henry shook his head. "That's absolutely… What did I do wrong?"

Dean took a few steps toward Henry. "Who the hell are you, mister?"

"Not now. I'm thinking." Henry retorted.

Dean grabbed Henry, pushed him against the wall, and held him there with an arm across his chest.

"Please," Henry pleaded. "I can assure you there's no need for violence. One of you must know John Winchester."

Angela stood up, a hand resting protectively over her stomach. "I'll tell you what—when _one of us_ falls out of your closet, then you can ask the questions."

"Yes, my apologies," Henry replied before staring up at Dean. "Is it absolutely essential, sir, that you keep your hands on me?"

Dean just clenched his jaw and stepped back.

"Thank you." Henry nodded. "In the absence of any and all other explanations, I'm afraid this has been a marvelous, tragic misunderstanding. I'll be on my way."

Sam scoffed. "That's not happening."

"There are things of grave importance. I do not have time to deal with the likes of you."

Dean picked up handcuffs from a nearby bag and Sam grabbed Henry. Dean took hold of Henry's wrist.

"You're not going anywhere, 007, till we get some answers." Dean glared.

Dean tried to handcuff Henry to a chair, but in one swift motion, Henry managed to break away and handcuff Dean and Sam to the chair, shocking Angela. Henry quickly ran out of the room.

"How did he do that?" Dean asked. "You got to be kidding me!"

Angela walked over to her bag and rummaged through it for a few moments. "Got it." She muttered as she took out her lock-picking kit. She walked over to the brothers and started working on their handcuffs.

"Any chance that you could go a little faster?" Dean asked.

Angela just glared up at Dean, effectively shutting him up. Soon enough, the handcuffs unlocked and the brothers took them off.

~/~\~

The three hunters rushed out of the motel room just as Henry got into the Impala. Dean walked over, cocked his gun, and pointed it at Henry through the smashed window.

"Nice taste in wheels." Dean glared.

Henry sighed heavily. "Yours, I presume?"

~/~\~

Henry sat in a chair in the motel room. Water splashed his face and he laughed loudly.

"And there with the holy water."

"He's clean," Angela commented.

"I could have told you that," Henry muttered as he pulled down his sleeve over a cut on his left arm.

"Yeah, well, you can start by telling us everything before I beat it out of you." Dean threatened.

"I'm quite certain this is all beyond your understanding, my alpha-male-monkey friend," Henry replied. "And violence will not help you comprehend this any easier."

Dean pointed his gun at Henry and grabbed the front of his jacket. "Let me tell you what I understand! Some asshat pops out of my closet asking about my dad, smashes up my ride. So, why am I not getting violent, again?"

Henry's brows furrowed in confusion. "John Winchester is your father?"

Before Dean could answer, a loud rattling came from the closet.

"What is that?" Henry got to his feet. "Oh, my God."

"What?" Dean frowned.

"Run!"

The closet door burst open in a flash of bright light and Abaddon stepped out.

"Henry." She laughed. "Silly man, you forgot to lock the door. But then spells never were your best subject, were they? Why don't you be a doll and give me what I want? And I promise to kill you and your friends here quickly."

Henry shook his head. "You know I can't do that."

"You're not a fighter, Henry," Abaddon replied.

Dean raised his gun, and Abaddon lifted her arm and sent the three hunters flying into the walls. Henry tried to move but Abaddon held up a hand to stop him.

"Josie." He pleaded. "I know you're still in there. You must fight this."

Abaddon smirked. "I'm afraid Josie's indisposed, pet. It looks like it's just you and me."

Dean stabbed Abaddon in the back with the demon knife, and she screamed as she fell to the ground with gold light flashing within her body. After a few moments, the light flashing in her body ceased.

"Well, that is no way to treat a lady." She reprimanded.

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Henry ran from the room as quickly as they possibly could.

~/~\~

Dean and Henry jumped into the front seats of the Impala while Sam and Angela went into the back.

"Go, go, go, go, go, go!" Sam yelled.

Dean backed out of the parking spot while Sam closed his door and sped away towards an oncoming car.

~/~\~

"Are you okay, baby?" Sam asked concernedly as Dean drove quickly.

Angela nodded and leaned against Sam. "Yeah. I'm gonna have a serious bruise, but yeah, I'm okay."

Dean pulled over to the side of the road and Henry stumbled out of the passenger seat. He hurried a short distance away and vomited. Sam, Dean, and Angela also got out of the car.

"Are you okay?" Angela asked, brows furrowed.

"Yes, I will be," Henry replied before he vomited again. He wiped his mouth with a handkerchief as he stood up. "It's just all the adventures I enjoy are usually of the literary nature."

"Yeah, well, now that you're done blowing chunks, you want to tell us who Betty Crocker was?" Dean questioned.

"Abaddon. She's a demon."

"No kidding." Sam scoffed. "Where'd she come from?"

"Where'd you come from?" Dean added.

"She's from Hell," Henry replied obviously. "I'm from Normal, Illinois—1958."

"Yeah, right." Dean chuckled. "Seriously? Dudes time-traveling through motel-room closets? That's what we've come to?"

"If you could just take me to John, we could clear all this up, I'm sure," Henry stressed.

"I've told you that's not gonna happen," Dean replied.

"Why not?"

"Because he's dead!" Dean snapped angrily.

Henry frowned. "No." he murmured, turning away from the three hunters.

"What's it to you?" Sam asked curiously.

"Everything," Henry replied. "I'm his father."

~/~\~

Henry sat at a table holding a photograph of himself and a young John Winchester. Dean, Sam, and Angela stood at the counter.

"Driver's license says he's Henry Winchester from Normal, Illinois." Sam sighed. "He knows Dad's birthday, the exact place where he was born. Dude, that's our grandfather."

"I'm just saying before we break out the warm and toasties, let's not forget that, uh, H.G. Wells over there left Dad high and dry when he was a kid," Dean argued.

"But maybe he didn't run out on Dad—I mean, not on purpose," Sam replied. "Maybe he time-traveled here and, I don't know, got stuck."

"Yeah, well, either way, Dad hated the son of a bitch."

"And Dad made up for that how? By being father of the year?" Sam asked.

A waitress set trays of food down in front of the three hunters. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Angela smiled.

"Look, Dad had his issues, okay, but he was always there for us." Dean defended. "I freaking hate time-travel."

Dean, Sam, and Angela carried the trays of food to the table where Henry was sitting, and they sat down across the table from him.

"How are you doing, Henry?" Angela asked.

"I'll be fine," Henry assured. "After all, despite everything, I've just met my grandsons and granddaughter-in-law, haven't I?" he added, holding his hand out to Angela. "Henry Winchester. It's a pleasure."

"Angela." She replied with a smile as she shook his hand.

Henry smiled and held a hand out to Sam.

"Sam." He replied, shaking Henry's hand.

"Hello, Sam." Henry smiled.

Henry held out his hand to Dean. Dean picked up a basket of food from the tray in front of Sam and set it down in front of Henry.

"Dinner."

Angela pursed her lips. "This is Dean."

"Right." Henry nodded.

"Well, this has been touching," Dean noted sarcastically. "How about we figure out how to clean up your mess, huh?"

Henry sighed heavily. "Abaddon. Yes. She must be stopped."

"How come she didn't die when I stabbed her?" Dean questioned.

Henry's brows furrowed. "Because demons can't be killed by run-of-the-mill cutlery. At the very least, you'd need an ancient demon-killing knife of the Kurds."

Dean took the knife partway out of his jacket. "That's what this is."

"Where'd you get that?" Henry questioned.

Dean shoved the knife back into his jacket. "Demon gave it to me. We've been around this block so many times."

"Now, the portal or whatever it was you came through—is it still open?" Angela asked.

"I highly doubt it," Henry replied. "Why?"

Angela sighed. "I'm just thinking if we can't kill this Abaddon—

"Maybe we can shove her back where she came from." Dean finished. "How did you do it?"

"It's a blood sigil. Blood leads to blood. Or their next of kin."

"But Abaddon came through it, also, right?" Sam asked. "So, can you create this blood sigil again?"

"My blood, an angel feather, tears of a dragon, a pinch of the sands of time—I—I would need those and… at least a week for my soul to recharge, but, yes, it's possible." Henry explained.

Sam's brows raised. "You tapped the power of your soul to get here? I thought only angels could do that."

Henry frowned in confusion. "You should know this. What level are you?"

Dean's brows furrowed. "What level."

"Level of knowledge," Henry replied, looking between Sam and Dean. "You're Men of Letters, correct?"

"I'm a little rusty on my boy bands." Dean chuckled. "Men of what?"

"Men of Letters, like your father, who taught you our ways."

"Our father taught us how to be hunters," Sam replied.

Henry laughed. "You're not. Are you? Hunters?" he frowned. "Well, hunters are… Hunters are apes. You're supposed to—you're _legacies._ Your child is a legacy."

Dean looked even more confused. "Legacies of what?"

~/~\~

Henry got out of the back seat of the Impala, while Dean, Sam, and Angela got out of the front seats. The four walked down a bit and Henry stopped outside number 242.

"What's going on here?" he frowned.

The sign above the door read _'Astro Comics.'_ A symbol was carved into the door, but was partly worn away. Henry touched it, frowning deeply.

"No."

"Alright, well, this was enlightening." Dean clapped his hands once. "Let's hit the road, huh?"

"Give him a minute, Dean," Sam replied.

Dean rolled his eyes. "We just spent four hours driving, okay? All he did was stare out the window and request Pat Boone on the radio. He had his time."

"It's just a façade," Henry muttered. "A way to rook our enemies into believing we are housed elsewhere."

"Okay, enough with the decoder talk." Dean snapped. "How about you tell us what this whole _'Men of Letters'_ business is, or you're on your own."

"It's none of your concern." Henry retorted.

"Why, because we're hunters?" Angela raised a brow. "What do you have against us?"

"Aside from the unthinking, unwashed, shoot-first-and-don't-bother-to-ask-questions-later part, not much, really."

"You know what?" Sam cut in. "Wait a second. Dean and I are also John's children."

"You were more than that, actually." Henry corrected. "My father and his father before him were both Men of Letters, as John and you two should have been. We're preceptors, beholders, chroniclers of all that which man does not understand." He explained. "We share our findings with a few trusted hunters—such as the Morgan family. The very elite. They do the rest."

"The Morgan family?" Angela raised her brows. "Angela _Morgan_ -Winchester, pleasure to meet you." She reintroduced.

Henry's eyes widened slightly. He was about to say something when Dean cut in.

"So, you're like the Yodas to our Jedis." He shrugged, earning a confused look from Henry. "Never mind. You'll get there."

"Okay, but if you guys were such a big deal, then why haven't we—or anyone we know—ever heard of you?" Sam questioned.

Henry's face visibly fell. "Abaddon." He muttered as he opened the door and walked inside.

The three hunters looked at each other before quickly following him.

~/~\~

"Henry," Sam started. "Why? Why'd she do it?"

Henry held up a small wooden box carved with the symbol. "I think for this."

"Okay, what's that?" Angela asked.

"I wish I knew." He replied as he put the box back into his pocket. "Abaddon attacked us the night of my final initiation. All secrets were to be revealed them."

"Let me get this straight," Dean interjected. "You traveled through time to protect something that does you don't know what from a demon that you know nothing about?"

Henry looked at Dean, then walked down the hallway further into the store.

Dean spread his hands. "Good."

Henry walked into a room and stopped some distance from the store counter. A young woman wearing black and a studded collar stood behind it. Dean, Sam, and Angela walked up behind Henry.

"Hand me your… walkie-talkie," Henry demanded.

"You mean my phone?" Sam asked.

"Even better." Henry nodded. He took Sam's phone and held it up to his mouth. "Operator, I need Delta 457."

Dean pursed his lips. "Who are you _not_ calling?"

"Our emergency number."

"Yeah. Not anymore." Dean replied as he took the phone and handed it back to Sam.

"They can't all be gone." Henry sighed. "There must be another elder out there who can help us figure out how to stop Abaddon and what to do with the box."

Dean smiled charmingly at the young woman. "Hey, uh, hi. Can we hijack your computer for a hot second?"

Henry laughed. "Like you could fit a computer in this room."

The young woman gave Henry a weird look. "Sure…"

"Thanks," Dean replied. He turned the laptop on the counter around. "Sam."

"Yep. Alright, um… give me a name—anybody who, uh, might have been there that night, one of those elders."

"Um… Ackers, David. Larry Ganem." Henry replied as Sam started typing the names. "Um, Ted."

"Okay, here it is," Sam commented. "Um, August 12, 1958. A tragic fire at a gentlemen's club. Uh, 242 Gaines Street."

"This is 242 Gaines Street," Henry replied. "But that was no fire."

"Larry Ganem, David Ackers, Ted Bowen, and Albert Magnus—all deceased." Angela read.

"Albert Magnus," Henry repeated.

"He a friend of yours?" Dean asked.

"Even better."

~/~\~

Henry, Sam, Angela, and Dean walked through the cemetery. The three hunters held flashlights.

"These were my friends, my mentors, our last defense against the Abaddons of the world," Henry commented.

Dean shined his flashlight on a headstone. "Here's your buddy Albert Magnus."

"Albertus Magnus. He was hardly a buddy. He was the greatest alchemist of the middle ages."

"Okay, so why is he buried here?" Angela questioned.

"He's not. His was the alias we'd use when going incognito. I believe someone planted his name in that article… so that if a Man of Letters came looking for answers, he'd know something was amiss." Henry explained.

"So, someone _wanted_ you to come to this grave," Sam replied.

Henry nodded. "The question is why."

Dean shined his flashlight onto another headstone. "What's this?"

"Our crest," Henry answered. "The Aquarian Star, representing great magic and power. They say it stood at the gates of Atlantis itself."

"It's on all the tombstones except for this one—uh, Larry Ganem," Angela replied.

Henry crouched down in front of the headstone. "The Haitian symbol for speaking to the dead." He muttered. "This is a message. You three ever exhume a body?"


	24. As Time Goes By Part 2

Sam and Dean were shoveling in a grave, the coffin fully exposed. Angela and Henry stood nearby.

"Tell me how we got stuck doing this?" Dean grumbled as they lifted the coffin out of the grave.

~/~\~

A skeleton wearing a suit lied in the coffin.

"Hey, was, uh, Larry a World War I vet?" Dean asked.

"No." Henry shook his head.

Dean's brows furrowed. "Well, then, who's the stiff?"

"No idea."

Sam looked at a metal tag on the skeleton's clothes. "Captain Thomas J. Carey III. That mean anything to you?"

Henry just shook his head.

"Well, somebody wanted you to see this, so maybe that somebody is Larry," Dean commented.

"So, what, maybe he, uh, survives the attack and hides out with this guy's identity?" Angela theorized.

"Okay. What are we waiting for, then?" Henry asked. "Cover this up. Let's be on our way."

~/~\~

Sam and Angela sat at the table reading John's journal. Henry was on the couch, whistling _'As Time Goes By.'_ Dean was using the laptop at the table next to Angela.

"What is that?" Dean asked. "I know that tune."

" _'As Time Goes By.'"_ Henry replied. "I hope so. It's from _'Casablanca.'"_

"Right." Sam nodded. "Dad used to whistle it from time to time."

"Your father saw _'Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy'_ at the drive-in one night," Henry explained. "It scared the beeswax out of him. So, I got him this little music box that played that song to help him sleep at night. It worked like a charm."

"Wow," Sam chuckled. "It's hard to believe Dad was ever scared of anything."

"Hey, uh, according to county records, Tom Carey lives in Lebanon, Kansas, and it a very happy 127-year-old," Dean explained. He sighed and closed the laptop. "I say we get some shut-eye, head over first thing in the morning."

"Wait, wait, wait. Listen to this." Angela interjected. "According to John's journal, he once tortured a demon that said he made his bones working for Abaddon, who, it turns out, is a Knight of Hell."

"What does that even mean?" Dean asked.

"Knights of Hell are hand-picked by Lucifer himself," Henry explained. "They are the first-fallen, first-born demons."

"So, very pure, very strong," Sam replied.

"Legend has it that Archangels had killed all of them," Henry sighed as he stood up. "Which, as we have witnessed, is not the case."

"Unless she's the last of her kind." Angela countered.

Henry gestured to the journal. "You say that belonged to John?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"May I?"

Sam slid the journal across the table towards Henry. "It's a hunters journal. I assume Men of Letters—you use journals, too?"

"I intended to." Henry nodded. "I sent away for one the day before my initiation." He added as he lifted a photo tucked into the inside cover to reveal the initials _'HW'_ stamped into the leather. "As a matter of fact, judging by my initials here, this one, I believe."

"That was yours?" Dean raised his brows.

"It must have arrived after… I'm beginning to gather I don't make it back from this time, do I?"

Sam sighed heavily. "We don't know for sure. All we do know is that Dad never saw you again."

Henry pursed his lips. "What did he think happened to me?"

"He thought you ran out on him," Dean replied.

"John was a legacy. I was supposed to teach him the ways of the Letters."

"Well, he learned things a little differently." Dean retorted.

"How?" Henry asked quietly.

"The hard way. Surviving a lonely childhood, a stinking war… only to get married and have his wife taken by a demon… and later killed by one himself." Dean explained. "That man got a bum rap around every turn. But you know what? He kept going. And in the end, he did a hell of a lot more good than he did bad."

"I'm sorry," Henry replied sincerely. "I wish I had been there for him."

Dean clenched his jaw. "Yeah, it's a little late for that now, don't you think?" he muttered as he got up and walked towards the door.

"It's the price we pay for upholding great responsibility. We know that." Henry stressed.

"Your responsibility was to your family, not some glorified book club!" Dean snapped.

"I was a _legacy._ I had no choice." Henry defended.

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that." Dean retorted before walking out of the motel room.

Sam, Angela, and Henry sat at the table in silence for a few moments.

"You should get some sleep, Sam," Angela whispered to her husband.

Sam nodded and stood up, Angela quickly following suit. The couple walked into the bedroom, shutting the door behind them.

~/~\~

Dean was still asleep on the motel bed. Angela shook him gently.

"Hey, Dean. Wake up."

"What?" he grumbled, his eyes still closed.

Angela sighed. "Henry—he's gone."

"Where is he?"

"Well, no idea," Angela replied. "Sam found a note saying that he was gonna fix everything."

"Yeah, or screw it all up. Alright." Dean sighed, getting up off the bed.

~/~\~

Dean walked into the motel room and sighed. "Now we know what he meant by 'fix everything.'"

"What?" Angela asked.

"He broke into the trunk, stole an angel feather. I'm guessing he's gonna whip up another one of those blood spells and Marty McFly himself back to the 1950s." Dean explained.

Sam's brows furrowed. "To do what? Stop Abaddon before she strikes?"

"Or grab Dad and haul ass. Look, point is he's doing it."

"How? He still needs two ingredients for the spell. Unless… unless there's someplace nearby that sells real hoodoo." Sam replied as he opened the laptop.

"I'll call Garth." Angela sighed as she took out her phone.

Sam clicked on an item on a police scanner application on the laptop.

 _"All units, possible homicide at Astro Comics."_ The voice on the police radio said. _"Location…"_

"Hey."

"Hmm?" Dean hummed.

"It just hit the wires—one dead at Astro Comics," Sam replied.

"Abaddon?" Angela raised a brow.

"Yeah, has to be."

"Okay, so she's close." Dean sighed. "I'll go find Henry. You guys find Larry. Figure out how to kill this chick."

~/~\~

Sam and Angela stopped in front of a house, looking at a notepad.

~/~\~

A woman poured Sam and Angela some tea. Larry sat in an armchair while Sam and Angela sat on a couch.

"So, Henry's dead," Larry muttered. "I was so sure that—that he had survived."

"Yes, well, um, like I said—we found his journal and were hoping you could fill in the gaps and explain to us what happened that night in 1958," Sam replied.

Larry waved him off. "It doesn't matter. They're gone. We're gone."

"But Abaddon is not," Angela stressed.

"Abaddon was a hired gun. She killed us all that one night."

"Everyone but you." Angela murmured.

"She blinded me." Larry gestured to his eyes. "It's a miracle I survived."

"It's okay, dear." His wife comforted softly.

"But she did not get what she came for," Larry noted.

"The box." Sam nodded. "Listen, Abaddon is here, and she wants this thing. So, we need to know everything there is to know about it."

"In the box is the key to every object, scroll, spell ever collected for thousands of years under one roof. It is the supernatural mother lode."

~/~\~

Dean walked into the hoodoo shop.

"Poo-goh. Kah-nee-lah…" Henry chanted.

"Henry, wait!" Dean tried to stop him.

"This is a risk I have to take," Henry argued.

"And what if you die, huh? Who said you'll even survive a jump?"

Henry turned to face Dean. "You cannot begin to understand how I felt after reading John's journal."

"Oh, I think I can," Dean argued. "See, I've read that thing more times than you can imagine, and it hurts every time!"

"Maybe so, but you didn't let him down! I did!" Henry snapped. "Just like you said!"

"Well, I was wrong," Dean replied.

"No! No, you were right." Henry countered. "And I'm going to go back and give him the life he deserves, not the one he was forced to live."

"And what if it's not meant to be?" Dean questioned.

"Then it will be!" Henry roared.

Dean clenched his jaw. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because it's the right thing to do! I can save him and stop Abaddon!"

"How?" Dean asked.

"By going back an hour before she attacks and making preparations," Henry explained.

"If you do that and you change the past, Sam and I might cease to exist! My _niece_ might cease to exist!"

"I am aware that time is a delicate mistress," Henry sighed. "But I'm willing to bet on this being for the best."

"Listen, I understand that this is not your idea of a happy ending, okay, and that—that you're disappointed that Sam and I are mouth-breathing hunters." Dean reasoned. "But you know what? We stopped the Apocalypse."

"If this works the way I planned, there will never be an Apocalypse to stop." Henry retorted.

~/~\~

"So… Abaddon wants the key so she can get her hands on it." Angela noted.

Larry chuckled. "Can you imagine what she would do with that?"

"So, how do we stop her? How do we stop Abaddon?" Sam questioned.

"You don't," Larry replied, taking a pen out of his pocket. "If you know where the key is, then take it to these coordinates." He explained as he wrote something down and handed it to Sam. "Throw it in. Shut the door forever. And walk away."

Sam's brows furrowed. "Wait, w-why would we do that?"

"Because it's the safest place on Earth, warded against any evil ever created," Larry explained. "It is impervious to any entry, except the key."

"Right, but then all that knowledge would be—would be lost and gone forever." Angela frowned.

"And that is the price we have to pay for keeping it away from Abaddon. You do… have the key, don't you?"

"I don't, um… but, uh…" Sam trailed off as he and Angela stood up. "My brother… my brother does."

The woman stood up, much to Sam and Angela's confusion. "How rude. You haven't finished your tea."

The woman's eyes turned black as she hit Sam, knocking him to the ground. Angela went to grab her angel blade, but the woman hit her, and she fell back onto the couch, unconscious.

"Abaddon." Larry frowned.

~/~\~

Dean's phone started to ring and he quickly answered it. "Sammy?"

 _"No."_ Abaddon's voice rang through. _"Much sexier. Try again."_

Dean clenched his jaw. "Abaddon."

 _"Good boy."_ She praised. _"Now listen up—I want to make a good, old-fashioned horse trade. Henry and the key for your brother and Angela. Or they die._ " She offered. _"Am I clear?"_

Dean closed his eyes and sighed. "Crystal."

_"On the road to Larry's, there's a processing plant. Don't keep me waiting."_

Dean hung up and pursed his lips.

"Abaddon has Sam and Angela?" Henry asked.

Dean looked up at Henry. "She wants to trade you and they key for Sam and Angie's lives."

"If I could just go back, stop this all from happening!" Henry stressed.

"And what if you can't?!" Dean snapped. "I can't take that risk—not with Sammy and Angie on the hook now."

"I can't abandon my son, Dean! Not again! I need to do this. I'm sorry." Henry replied as he turned back to the sigil on the door. "Kah-nee-lah… Poo-goh. Kah-nee-lah… Poo-goh."

"Well, I'm sorry, too," Dean replied as he wrapped his arms around Henry from behind.

~/~\~

Dean drove down the dark road. Henry was in the passenger seat, and he woke up groggily. He blinked a few times, trying to grab his bearings.

"Sorry about that." Dean apologized flatly.

"No, you're not." Henry retorted. "You've wanted to do that since we met."

Dean pursed his lips. "Henry, you need to understand something. When my dad died, I couldn't save him… no matter how bad I wanted to. I never want that to happen to Sam and Angie… ever." He explained. "If there's a chance that I can save them, and therefore my niece, I'm gonna do it. They're the only family I got."

~/~\~

Dean parked outside of the processing plant, and he and Henry got out. They walked into the plant, Henry's hands behind his back.

"Don't do it, Dean." Henry pleaded as they walked into a large room.

"Too late for that now." Dean retorted.

Abaddon, Sam, and Angela waited in the room.

Henry scoffed. "That's the problem with you hunters. You're all short-sighted."

"Yeah, at least we're not extinct," Dean replied. "Abaddon! I'll send Henry here over with the box. You do the same with Sam and Angie. No tricks." He stated as he put the box in Henry's jacket pocket.

"My only interest is Henry and the key," Abaddon replied. "You three are free to go."

Dean nodded and gave Henry a shove. Henry didn't move and Dean took out his gun.

"You can do this standing, or you can do it crawling." He threatened. "Your call."

Sam and Angela, whose hands were bound in front of them, started walking towards Dean. Henry started walking towards Abaddon. Sam and Angela paused when they met Henry in the middle.

"Henry, we're sorry." Sam apologized sincerely.

Henry clenched his jaw. "Save it."

Sam and Angela kept walking. Dean took out a knife to cut the rope binding their hands.

"Don't do this, Dean." Angela pleaded. "This is a bad idea."

"Shut your mouth. Let's go." Dean replied as he cut their ropes as Henry reached Abaddon. "Come on."

The three hunters tried to leave the room, but at a motion from Abaddon, the door closed.

"We had a deal!" Dean roared.

Abaddon laughed evilly. "Surprise. I lied." She shrugged as she plunged a hand into Henry's abdomen.

"Henry!" Sam exclaimed, starting to run towards him.

Dean put out a hand to stop him. "Wait. Wait."

Abaddon withdrew her hand and Henry gasped.

"You're not the only one." He replied through a mouthful of blood. He brought a gun out from behind his back and shot Abaddon under the chin, causing her skull to glow with bright light.

~/~\~

_"I'm gonna do it. They're the only family I got."_

_"So, what are you thinking?" Henry asked._

_"Can you slow Abaddon down? Because if you can, I'll do the rest."_

~/~\~

"Whoo!" Abaddon exclaimed. "What a blast. Now, give me the box."

Abaddon reached into Henry's jacket pocket and took out a pack of cards. She frowned, throwing the box to the ground.

"Where is it?!" she screamed. "Okay." She sobered up. "We can do this the hard way."

Abaddon grabbed Henry's chin and attempted to breathe black smoke into his mouth, but it seemed to meet with an invisible shield. She shoved Henry and he fell to the ground. Sam and Angela ran to Henry and supported him. Abaddon tried to move, but seemed to be held in place.

"Why am I stuck?!" she screamed.

~/~\~

_Henry carved a devil's trap into the head of a bullet. He handed it to Dean._

_Dean looked impressed. "A devil's trap carved into a bullet." He muttered as he loaded into the gun and handed it to Henry. "You're gonna have to get close. And 'close' means it could get ugly."_

_"I know." Henry nodded. "But you do that for blood."_

~/~\~

Henry shook slightly as he leaned against Sam and Angela. He looked up at Abaddon through hooded eyes.

"You still didn't kill me." She smirked.

"No, but you'll wish we did," Dean growled as he cut her head off with a machete. "The demon trap in your noggin is gonna keep you from smoking out. We're gonna cut you into little steaks and bury each strip under cement. You might not be dead, but you'll wish you were."

"We did it," Henry muttered.

Dean crouched down in front of Henry. "No, _you_ did it. For a bookworm, that wasn't bad, Henry."

Henry chuckled weakly. "I'm sorry I judged you three so harshly for being hunters. I should have known better."

"About?" Sam asked, brows furrowed.

"You're also Winchesters. And Angela, not only are you a Winchester, but you're a Morgan." Henry explained. "As long as we're alive, there's always hope. I didn't know my son as a man, but having met his sons… I know I would have been proud of him."

Henry let out one last breath before he fell limp against Sam and Angela. The three hunters looked at each other, then Sam looked down at the box, which Henry put into his hand.

~/~\~

Sam hammered a cross grave marker into the ground, then stood next to Dean and Angela in front of the grave. Sam wrapped an arm around Angela's waist and pulled her close to him. _'H. Winchester'_ was carved into the cross.

"I get it now." Sam murmured.

"Hmm?" Dean asked.

"What Cupid said about Heaven busting ass to get Mom and Dad together," Sam replied. "The Winchesters and the Campbells—the brains and the brawn."

"The same could be said about you and me," Angela commented, looking up at Sam. "Winchesters and Morgans."

"Well, I'm glad you two see it. All I see in our family tree is a whole lot of dead." Dean sighed as he took a photo out of his pocket. "Hey, I, uh… found this in Henry's wallet."

Dean handed the photo to Sam. It was the picture of Henry and John that Henry had been looking at in the diner.

"Your dad looks happy," Angela noted softly as Sam handed the photo back to Dean. "I wish I had gotten the chance to meet him."

"He would've loved you." Sam murmured, kissing Angela's temple.

Dean pursed his lips. "Kind of makes you wish he knew the truth, huh?" Dean asked. "I mean, all those years thinking his old man ditched when the poor son of a bitch really came here and saved our bacon. Freaking time-travel."

"You think it would have made a difference?" Sam asked softly.

"What?"

"Dad." He shrugged. "If he'd had his own father around."

Dean's brows furrowed. "What, in how he raised us? Sammy, he did the best he could."

"I know that. I—I do." Sam nodded. "They all did."

Sam fished the box out of his pocket.

"What are the chances that place is still standing?" Angela asked curiously.

"A chance we've got to take, I guess." Sam sighed. "I mean, we are legacies, right?"


	25. Everybody Hates Hitler Part 1

_Lebanon, Kansas_

The Impala pulled up outside of a bunker. Dean, Sam, and Angela got out of the car and walked towards the entrance of the bunker, which was built into a bank. The bunker appeared to be a two-story building above ground level.

"When's the last time somebody was in this place?" Angela asked curiously.

"Sixty-five, seventy years ago." Sam shrugged.

Dean opened the box and took out the key inside it. Sam, Dean, and Angela walked down a short flight of stairs to the door.

~/~\~

The three hunters entered and shined their flashlights over a railing at the level below them, revealing 1950s-style communications equipment.

"Son of a bitch." Dean breathed.

"Look at this," Sam smiled slightly. "Ham radio, telegraph, switchboard. This was their nerve center."

"Henry did say that they ran dispatch on their own team of hunters," Dean replied as he shined his flashlight on a table containing a chessboard, ashtray, glass, and dirty coffee cup. "Wow. Halfway through their coffee and a game of chess—looks like whoever was manning the hub left quick."

"On the alarm that ended the Men of Letters," Angela replied.

Dean opened a switch box on the wall and pushed a lever, causing the lights to come on. Dean pushed another lever.

Sam's eyes widened. "Son of a bitch."

Dean joined Sam and Angela downstairs as they walked to the doorway of a large, attractively furnished room with bookshelves, polished wood floors, and wooden tables.

"Sammy, Angie, I think we found the Bat Cave," Dean commented in awe.

~/~\~

Dean walked into the 'Bat Cave' room, wearing a gray bathrobe and slippers. Books were spread over the tables. Sam leaned over reading two of them while Angela sat at the table.

"Morning." Dean greeted.

"Morning." Sam and Angela greeted simultaneously.

"The, uh, water pressure in the Letters' shower room is marvelous," Dean commented.

"I know," Angela agreed. "Really helps with the back pain."

Dean's brows furrowed. "You're still having back pain?"

"Dean, I'm carrying a watermelon-sized fetus." Angela deadpanned. "I'm gonna have back pain until this baby comes out. Which _hopefully,_ is soon."

"Ah. Right." Dean nodded.

"I still can't figure out how we even have water… or electricity," Sam commented as he walked to the shelves to get another book.

"Yep, well, I am putting that under the 'ain't broke' column," Dean replied. "Listen, little brother, let's not go all geek on this stuff, okay?"

Sam raised his brows. "Geek?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I mean, don't—don't get me wrong," Dean started as he lifted a scimitar from a display stand. "This stuff is awesome, and it looks like they ran a real tight outfit here, but I'm just saying, you know, uh, don't think that they knew some big secrets that we don't."

Dean struck some poses with the scimitar while the couple had their backs to them. As they turned, Dean quickly straightened up.

"Dean… they were a secret society." Angela reminded.

"Which means that they made crap up and wore fezzes and sashes and swung around scimitars. They probably didn't even sharp…" he trailed off as he ran his finger along the blade and cut himself. "That's very sharp." He muttered as he placed the scimitar on the stand.

"Dean, look," Sam sighed. "I think we might have something here—something that could help us, help humanity. Henry certainly thought so. I mean, you know damn well we could use a break. What if we finally got one?"

The three hunters looked at each other for a moment, then Dean looked away.

"Are you gonna take off the dead guy robe?" Angela raised a brow.

~/~\~

_Two Weeks Later_

Dean walked into the main room of the bunker, carrying a duffel bag. Sam and Angela sat in front of his laptop at a table.

"Hey!" Dean called out.

"Hey!" Sam replied. "So… how's Kevin doing?"

"You know. He's okay, I guess. In his corner, hacking out his Da Vinci code—nothing actionable yet." Dean explained as he took a beer out of the fridge. "Garth says hi, by the way. And he has a gift for the baby. Anything from Cas?"

Angela looked at the beer bottle and sighed. "I miss beer." She muttered. "And no. Not a peep. Why? You?"

Dean shook his head. "No, he's, uh—he's not answering."

"Right. Well, uh, so we have been trying to chart out the Letters' network of hunters, their allies, uh, affiliated groups they worked with kept files on…" Sam explained as Dean sat across from the couple.

"Circa 1958?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. True. Uh, most are dead or defunct, but others—we're not so sure, and this one… you should definitely check out." Sam replied, putting a file with the Aquarian Star symbol on it in front of Dean.

Dean's brows furrowed curiously. "The Judah Initiative?"

"European team—they were active during World War II," Angela replied.

"Really?" Dean asked. "Hunters fighting in a war—that's cool."

"Not exactly hunters, n-not exactly fighting, but, uh…" Angela trailed off.

"Rabbis? _Rabbis?"_ Dean asked, surprised. "Really?"

"The Letters' file on them is—is sketchy, but, apparently, they were hard-core saboteurs," Sam explained. "So, Angie and I ran a search on the Initiative's entire roster, and we got a hit—one Rabbi Isaac Bass. He was 17-years-old when he joined the Initiative and 85-years-old when he died… two weeks ago. In a college town back east, he was capped."

"Capped?" Dean frowned.

"Yeah." Angela nodded. "He was there doing research, and according to eyewitnesses, he spontaneously combusted."

"So… this is a case?" Dean asked, looking around the room as if he didn't want to leave. "I just got back." He sighed.

~/~\~

_Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania_

"So, you… worked with the late Rabbi Bass?" the librarian questioned.

Sam and Angela stood at the counter, talking to the same librarian who had spoken to Rabbi Bass. Sam wore jeans, a jacket, and a vest, and Angela wore a navy-blue maternity dress.

"We were research associates of Rabbi Bass, yes," Angela started. "We're trying to complete his last paper for publication. We'd just like to review was he was after here."

"Well, that would be quite a lot of material. He was here open to close for almost a week."

"Wow," Sam muttered. "Um, how about just the stuff he was looking at… you know, the day he, uh… caught fire?"

The librarian pursed his lips. "Does shorten the list a bit."

~/~\~

Two attractive young women in matching sports uniforms sat across a table from Dean, who was wearing a suit.

"He was a really nice old kook." The first woman noted.

"Really nice." The second woman agreed.

"Kook? How so?" Dean asked curiously.

"You know," the second woman started. "He'd talk a lot to us, to himself, to anyone who'd listen. He was always talking about this secret war that nobody knew was going on."

"Conspiracy stuff—he was obsessed with Nazis." The first woman added.

"But he said they were 'Special Nazis' You know, necromancers."

"Necromancers?" Dean raised a brow.

Aaron, a bearded young man carried a fruity drink with a pink umbrella in it and sat down at a table nearby. He appeared to be watching Dean.

"Yeah, like from that world of whatever-craft that my little brother is always playing."

"Nazi… necromancers," Dean muttered.

"It's sad isn't it—that old people have to go so crazy?"

"I know. It is sad."

"Hmm." Dean hummed.

Dean looked at Aaron, who was staring at him. The man smiled and raised a hand.

"You, um…" Dean trailed off as the man looked away. "I'm sorry. You, uh, you both saw the accident?"

"I can still hear his screams." The first woman replied.

"It was like the fire was alive, like—like it was attacking him."

"It was like watching the most awful movie of the most terrible thing you could possibly see."

"It was like that." The second woman agreed.

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

He looked at Aaron again. After meeting Dean's eyes for a moment, Aaron looked down at the table.

~/~\~

A woman pushing a trolley left Sam and Angela at a table with a box labeled 'FD113.' Sam, who wore white gloves, opened the box and took out 'The Explorer's Guide to North American Birds.'

~/~\~

Dean held up his FBI badge to the bearded young man. "Special Agent Bolan." He introduced, putting the badge on the table.

"Oh, really? Wow. I thought you were like a headhunter or something." Aaron laughed.

"This is the second, maybe third time I'm seeing you today? Why you following me, Gingerbread?" Dean questioned.

"Oh, so, we, um… we didn't have a thing back there, huh?" Aaron asked nervously.

Dean froze. "Back where? W-what, now?"

"I'm sorry, man. I—I thought—I thought we had a thing back at the quad, you know—a little 'eye magic' moment, and I saw you here," he explained as Dean picked up his badge. "And I figured I'd wait until you were done with your meeting and then maybe we might, uh…"

"Yeah. Uh, okay, but no—uh, no moment." Dean cleared his throat. "This is a… federal investigation."

"Is that supposed to make you less interesting?" Aaron flirted. "No. I—I'm sorry, man. I hope—I hope I didn't freak you out or anything."

"No. No." Dean assured. "I—I'm n-not freaked out. It's just a, you know… a federal thing. It's, uh… Okay…" Dean trailed off as his phone rang. "Citizen. As you were." He added as he walked away.

"You have a good night." Aaron smiled.

"You—you…" Dean turned back to the man and bumped into a table. "Have a—okay." He nodded as he left the pub.

~/~\~

Dean took out his phone. "Yeah." He greeted.

 _"Hey,"_ Angela's voice rang through. _"So we, uh, looked into the rabbi's research. It doesn't make a lot of sense," she paused. "Um, bird watching."_

"Huh." Dean sighed. "Well, uh, the two very hot co-captains of the women's volleyball team agree that the rabbi's death was very unnatural. I think we still got a case."

 _"That would explain why we have something stuck to our shoes,"_ Angela replied.

Dean frowned. "You being followed?"

_"Yeah, I think so."_

"That's weird," Dean replied. "I thought I was being followed earlier. Turned out to be a gay thing."

 _"What?"_ Angela asked, obviously confused.

"Nothing," Dean replied quickly. "You guys need a hand?"

_"Yes, please. Got someplace quiet?"_

"Visitor's parking—the boonies. I'll park in the back. 30 minutes." Dean replied as he got into the car.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela walked to the trunk of the Impala. Angela fumbled with the keys and deliberately dropped them.

"Baby, can you pick those up for me?" Angela faked a sheepish smile.

Sam nodded and crouched down to pick up the keys. Dean walked up behind a large man, who was crouching in the bushes watching Sam and Angela.

"Hey, pal." Dean greeted.

The large man stood up, towering over Dean, who swallowed nervously. Dean yelled as he went flying through the air. He crashed into the Impala, breaking a side window, and fell to the ground.

"Dean?" Sam asked, his eyes wide.

Dean groaned as the large man stepped out of the bushes and headed for Sam and Angela. Sam opened the trunk of the Impala and took out a machete. He stood in front of Angela protectively and swung the knife at the man, and it got stuck in his forearm. Dean rolled over onto his front on the ground and raised his head to watch. With an effort, Sam pulled the knife free. The large man grabbed Sam by the throat and lifted him off the ground.

"Stop!" Angela pleaded. "Please!"

"Stop." A man's voice commanded.

The large man immediately let go of Sam. The bearded young man, Aaron, from the campus pub walked up.

"Oh, my spleen." Dean groaned.

"What the hell is that?" Angela demanded.

"He's a Golem," Aaron replied. "Well, he's _my_ Golem."

"Right." Sam breathed.

With a grimace, Dean flopped onto his back.

~/~\~

Aaron opened the door to his house. The Golem pushed him aside into the house. Aaron and the three hunters followed.

"The rabbi who was murdered, Isaac Bass—he was my grandfather," Aaron explained. "That's why we're here. When you guys started to follow up on his case, we started following you."

"So, wait," Dean frowned. "What you're saying is that you and me—why, uh, didn't have a moment?"

Aaron scoffed. "No, man. I was tailing you."

"Told you I was being followed. He was my gay thing." Dean told Angela. He looked back to the bearded young man. "It was really good. You really had me there. It was very smooth."

"Yeah, well, smooth is just about all I got." Aaron sighed. He looked up at the Golem, who was staring at him. "What?"

The Golem just grunted and walked away.

"Yeah, that's right. Keep walking… you Chia Pet." Aaron grumbled.

The Golem just made another noise.

"So, that's a Golem?" Sam raised his brows.

"Yes." Aaron nodded. "Shaped from clay and brought to life by rabbis to protect the Jewish people in times of—I don't know—general crappiness."

"And he's yours?" Angela asked.

"Hardly." He scoffed. "My grandfather left him to me. I'm the last surviving descendant of the members of this… thing, this… Initiative."

"The Judah Initiative?" Sam asked.

"Right, and he—

The Golem showed up directly behind the three hunters, growling. "Who?!" he yelled, causing them to jump. "Who are they to know about the men of Judah?"

"It's okay," Dean assured. "We are the good guys."

"W-we're hunters," Sam cut in. "Uh—Sam, Dean, and Angela Winchester. We know about the Judah Initiative because our grandfather was a Man of Letters."

"Yes." The Golem nodded. "The rabbis knew the Men of Letters."

~/~\~

Aaron handed beers to Sam and Dean, then handed a water to Angela.

"Thank you." Dean nodded.

"Thanks." Sam and Angela smiled.

"Take a seat. So… your grandfather was into all this supernatural stuff, too?" he asked.

"Yeah, grandparents, mom, dad, a truckload of cousins—the whole family was lousy for it. Angie comes from a long line of hunters who, apparently, worked with the Men of Letters." Dean explained. "But we… never had a Golem."

"Right. Yeah. We, um, we grew up in it, but you… didn't?" Angela asked.

"My grandfather's adventures, the Initiative, the Golem, the war—they were the stories that he told me when I was a kid. I thought it was make-believe. So did my parents—you know, fantasies to help him cope with all the horrible stuff he'd seen," he explained. "But every once in awhile, crazy old Grandpa Bass would come back by on one of his trips, hand me a $20 savings bond, and say, 'one day, you'll inherit the mantle.' Sure enough, a few days after he died, this big box shows up at my apartment. He always said I'd know what to do. Which was crap, because when I opened that box, this big, naked, potato-faced lunatic wakes up and goes crazy!"

The Golem stared out the window, frowning. "I didn't… go crazy."

"You trashed my entertainment center! And my waterbed."

"This boy knows nothing, observes none of the mitzvahs, labors on Sabbath, dines on swine." The Golem explained.

"Everybody loves bacon!" Aaron defended.

"He's no rabbi." The Golem shook his head. "Yifalchunbee!"

Aaron rolled his eyes and held up a hand. "Oh, don't start with that stuff again."

"Yifalchunbee!"

"Enough! Please! Quiet time!" Aaron pleaded.

"Alright," Sam cut in. "What was that? What was he saying?"

Aaron shrugged. "It's Hebrew for something like 'take charge,' but I have no idea what he means. Look, I grew up in Short Hills. I cheated my way through Hebrew school. I never really listened to my grandfather, what he was saying."

"So, wait—he just sends you this—this Golem and expects you to work it out?" Dean frowned.

"He didn't get much time to prepare me, I guess. My parents—they did everything they could to prevent him from screwing me up with all his crazy talk." Aaron explained. "See, after the war, my grandfather spent the rest of his life trying to track down something called the Thule Society."

"The Thule Society. Right." Angela nodded. "They were Nazis."

"Nazi necromancers," Dean added.

"N-necro-who?"

"Uh, necromancer—uh, witches, sorcerers, dark magic, mostly with dead people," Sam explained.

"Okay," Aaron replied uncertainly. "All I know about the Thule is that they were this twisted, secret fraternity, hell-bent on world domination, that sponsored the early days of the Nazi Party. My grandfather said The Judah Initiative was started to fight them."

"And the Thule murdered your grandfather, boy." The Golem glared. "Find them so I can do my work!" he roared as he smashed a side table.

"Hey! Hey! We're renting here! _Renting."_ Aaron reminded.

The Golem walked into the kitchen silently.

"Look… I think my Golem's right." Aaron sighed. "My grandfather—he left me this message on my machine the day he died, and he said that he had found something that the Thule were willing to kill him for. He said he was hiding it here in plain sight. He left me this weird—I don't know—equation." He explained as he took a piece of paper out of his pocket. "It's not a phone number or an address or coordinates—Q-L-6-7-3-W-3-8?" he shrugged, handing the paper to Dean.

"Is it a combination?" Dean asked as he handed the paper to Sam.

"Oh, it's a call number," Sam noted. "Library of Congress—their filing system. They use it in college libraries. Uh, Q-L-6-7-3—that… that's sciences. Uh… birds, I'm guessing. Let's go."

Sam and Angela headed for the door. Dean just smirked at Aaron.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, Aaron, and the Golem walked into the library. Dean was holding his lockpick.

"What, do you guys just break in wherever you go?" Aaron asked.

"Yeah, well, our dad wanted us to have a solid career to fall back on, just in case this hunter thing didn't pan out," Dean replied.

"Okay, so if I'm right, then I think your grandfather switched manuscript FD113 out of the archives," Sam commented. "I'll be right back."

Sam ran up the stairs as Dean and Angela sat down at the bottom of said stairs.

~/~\~

Sam walked past bookshelves on Level 2 and found the section he was looking for. Just as he took the red ledger off the shelf, he was hit at the top of his jaw with a dart. He pulled it out with a grunt. The skin turned a dark purple and he winced, groaned, and blinked as if his vision was blurring. He staggered back against the bookshelf behind him, then started to unsteadily walk away with the ledger.

"I owe you thanks." A man with a German accent commented as he stepped out from behind a bookshelf. "The rabbi got me this far, but you… took me all the way. Now, give me the ledger."

Sam kicked a trolley at the man and staggered away. "Help!"

Dean and Angela looked around at Sam at the top of the stairs.

"N-necromancer!" Sam stammered.

Dean looked at Angela and Aaron. "Stay here!"

Dean ran up the stairs as Sam fell on a landing partway down the stairs. Dean noticed the large purple bruise on Sam's jaw and neck.

"Crap." He muttered.

Suddenly, a dart hit Aaron in the chest, causing him to grunt in pain.

"Dean!" Angela exclaimed. "Hey, big guy," she looked up at the Golem. "They're both gonna die unless we get whoever cast the spell."

The Golem ran up the stairs as Dean crouched with a hand on Sam's back.

"Come on. Come on." Dean helped Sam up.

Dean touched Sam's face where the dark purple discoloration was spreading. Aaron lied down on his back on the floor, breathing shallowly. Angela knelt down and carefully removed the dart from his chest.

Suddenly, Dean and Angela heard a banging noise upstairs and looked up. Dean pointed his gun up at the flight of stairs. The Golem dragged the German man partway down the stairs, dropping him onto the landing.

"Long live the Thule." The German man said weakly.

The Golem immediately broke the man's neck. The discoloration on Sam's face and neck faded and he opened his eyes. Angela quickly rushed over to her husband, concern obvious on her face.

"Or not." Dean shrugged.


	26. Everybody Hates Hitler Part 2

Aaron took a deep breath and sat up in the back seat of the Impala. The Golem stood next to the car, almost as if he was guarding it. Aaron put a hand to his chest where he had been hit with the dart.

"Oh… man." He groaned.

"The Men of Letters healed you." The Golem noted. "They saved your life."

Sam, Dean, and Angela stood next to piles of dirt with two shovels near them. A body wrapped in a sheet lied on the ground.

"What are they doing?" Aaron asked.

"Burying the necromancer." The Golem replied.

Sam and Dean picked up the body and dropped it into the grave.

"That's like a bag of Legos," Dean grunted. "The Golem destroyed this guy."

"Yeah." Sam agreed. "So, uh… Thule Society necromancers aside, what's our contingency plan on that?"

"You mean how do we 'oh, no!' Mr. Bill over there?" Dean raised his brows.

"I mean, I'd like to think we could if we had to." Angela sighed as the brothers poured accelerant over the body. "Unless you think Aaron can get a handle on him."

As Aaron watched open-mouthed and the Golem watched impassively, Dean tossed a lit match into the grave.

"Oh, my God." Aaron breathed. "These people are psychopaths."

~/~\~

Dean walked into Aaron's house carrying a tray of coffees. Sam, Angela, and Aaron sat at the table. Sam was using a German to English translator on the laptop.

"What'd you find out?" Dean asked.

"I think it's a log-book from a Nazi compound in Belarus," Sam replied as Dean set down the coffees. "It was run by the Thule."

"This is the red ledger," Aaron noted in awe. "It was lost in the fire that destroyed the compound, but my grandfather was convinced it had been found after the war."

"Well, it describes the horrible experiments," Angela started as the Golem walked int the room. "Performed on the camp's population. Magical experiments."

"More horrible than words." The Golem muttered.

"You were there, weren't you?" Angela asked softly. "At the camp?"

"I was made in the ghetto of Vitsyebsk to tear that hell down. I broke its walls, its men. The commandant burnt the place to ash around me." The Golem explained grimly.

"Okay, um, w-what does it mean when—when you tell Aaron to take charge?" Sam questioned.

"The boy would know… if he could consult the pages."

Dean furrowed his brows. "Pages? W-what pages?"

Aaron sighed heavily. "When I was—when I was bar mitzvahed, my—my grandfather gave me this little old book." He explained. "It was in Hebrew. It was like an owner's manual for a Golem."

"Okay. Great." Dean shrugged. "Get that, then."

"I—I can't, exactly." Aaron stammered. "When I went to high school, I sort of… drifted. I started getting off the academic track, and, uh, I kind of, um… I kind of smoked it."

"The boy _smoked_ the pages." The Golem scoffed.

"They were these thin, vellum-y pages. I mean, it was _perfect_ for rolling!" Aaron defended. "Look, they were driving instructions for a clay man! Okay? It was nonsense. Right? I mean… I… Okay. Alright." He sighed, looking up at the Golem. "I'm sorry, okay? Why can't you just tell me what I don't know?!"

The Golem slammed his hands onto the table as he leaned over it. "It's not my place to guide the rabbi, to teach the teacher! It's not my place! Yifalchunbee!" he roared before storming off into another room.

"That's not super-comforting, got to say," Dean commented.

Aaron nodded in agreement and Dean got up and walked to the sink.

"So, as far as I can tell, these experiments—the Thule were murdering Jews, gypsies—just about anybody and everybody," Sam started as Dean ate something. "Then trying to magically reanimate them. They were trying to figure out a way to bring their own dead back to life… which I'm guessing they figured out because—this," he turned pages of the ledger. "This last page is a roster of every dead Thule member who was reanimated."

"This is why they killed my grandfather?" Aaron frowned deeply.

"Anything in there on how to kill it?" Dean asked.

"Apparently, they experimented with that, too," Angela replied. "Um—headshot. But, if you don't burn the body within 12 hours, it reanimates again."

"Nazi bastards." Dean shook his head as he sipped his coffee.

~/~\~

Dean put a duffel bag down on a table. "No, no, Garth, not a tool society—'Thule'—T-H-U-L-E. Yeah. Alright. Call me if you find anything." He explained before hanging up. "All of Garth's contacts are stumped. Nobody on the circuit's ever even heard of the Thule society." He sighed as he took off his jacket. "Whoever these people are, they've been flying beneath the hunter radar. Anything?"

"Nothing solid." Angela sighed. "I mean, the lore is all over the place. Uh, according to one legend, um, it can be shut down if you erase one of the letters of its forehead."

"I didn't see any letters on Clayface." Dean frowned.

"Exactly," Angela replied. "So, side-burner that. Another one—'some have a scroll in their mouth you're supposed to rip out.'"

"Wouldn't that give him some sort of lisp or something?" Dean asked.

"Well, classically, they're not even supposed to speak." Sam cut in. "We do know that he took on an entire camp full of heavily armed German soldiers and Thule necromancers and won."

"One badass Hummel figurine." Dean nodded.

"That we have no idea how to put back in the box." Sam sighed.

"Great." Dean scoffed.

Aaron walked into the room, a frown on his face. "So, that's your plan—taking out my Golem?"

"It's not a plan," Angela replied calmly.

"We would just feel a lot better if we knew how. That's all." Dean assured.

"What makes you think you have any right to make that decision?" Aaron questioned.

"Believe me, if we need the right, we will take it," Dean promised.

"Look, he may be a pain in the ass, but he's my responsibility," Aaron argued.

"Look, the Golem was built to go to war," Sam interjected. "You're not trained for that. How are you gonna take that on?"

Aaron paused for a moment. "I don't know."

Suddenly, a man in a suit kicked in the front door. Dean grabbed Aaron and pushed him back. Sam hid the red ledger under a nearby leather bag in the corner. Dean grabbed his gun from his duffel bag, but the man punched Dean and sent him flying to the ground. The man pointed a gun at Sam and Angela. Another man hauled Aaron up by his clothing. The Golem charged into the room, growling ferociously. Her overturned a table, grabbed one of the men, and choked him.

"Enough!" one of the men yelled. "There you are… you grim piece of work… after all these years."

The Golem dropped the man he was choking and glared at the second man. "Eckhart."

Eckhart held out a hand towards the Golem and started chanting in Latin. Suddenly, the Golem stood still and his shoulders sagged. Eckhart patted him on the shoulder as he walked past him towards Aaron, Angela, Sam, and Dean.

~/~\~

The man pointing a gun at Sam and Angela pushed them against a wall. Another man pointed a gun at Dean, who was still on the floor. Sam and Angela slid down against the wall to sit on the floor, holding up their hands. Eckhart walked to the Golem, who stood motionless.

"I command you by the covenant of your makers—Clay of Adam, surrender your bond onto me!" he demanded.

The Golem opened his mouth and a small scroll fell into Eckhart's hand.

"So, you are the Golem's rabbi?" he smirked at Aaron as he read the scroll. "You woke him… but you didn't take possession of him. You write your name on the scroll, boy. That's how you… Yifalchunbee."

"I didn't know what he meant," Aaron muttered.

Dean looked at a gun in his jacket, which was just out of reach.

"Knowledge is power, isn't it?" Eckhart asked as he hit Aaron across the face, causing him to fall back against the wall. "Now, which of you is going to tell me where I can find a certain red ledger?"

"How about you screw yourself, Nazi bastard?" Sam glared.

"Can we…" Eckhart sighed. "Could we put the Nazi thing aside for the moment and just talk about this like—

"Nazi necromancer dicks?" Dean raised his brows. "Pass."

"So, I take it you're the commandant?" Angela asked. "The one that authorized all those experiments?"

"Invented… those experiments, thank you." Eckhart corrected.

"So, what about you?" Sam questioned. "I mean, you're not… undead. So, what did you do? You cast a 'forever 21' spell on yourself, like your little friend at the library?"

"His name was Torvald." Eckhart narrowed his eyes. "And you will suffer for that."

One of the men found the red ledger under the bag in the corner.

"You know, I got to say, spell or no spell, he broke easy, so…" Dean trailed off.

The man handed the red ledger to Eckhart, who flipped through it.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "So… let me tell you what I see. A magic Jew at my feet, not a master in sight, and finally," he held up the ledger. "Our secrets secret once again. Which reminds me of a story. 'A Jew, three Gentiles, and a Golem walk into a bar'—and it doesn't end with them coming out."

Aaron smashed Eckhart with a piece of wood. Sam dove for the gun in the leather bag and Dean for the gun in his jacket. They shot the two men who pointed guns at them. The third man dragged Aaron towards the door, but suddenly dropped him and ran out the door. Eckhart got to his feet.

"Fools!" he yelled. "You can kill me. But you will never kill all the Thule."

Sam and Dean shot Eckhart in the head in unison. Sam put away his gun and helped Angela up.

"Well, that's a start." Dean shrugged.

"You okay, baby?" Sam asked, looking Angela over.

Angela nodded and rested a hand on her stomach. "I'm fine. Is Aaron okay?"

Dean turned to Aaron. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah."

~/~\~

The Golem was still standing near the door with his mouth open. After a few moments, Aaron, Angela, Dean, and Sam walked into the house.

"Well, now we know—paper beats Golem, fire beats undead Nazi zombie freaks," Dean commented.

"So… What do you say, Aaron?" Sam asked. "I mean, we got a place we can keep him."

"No. I mean… Eckhart might be dead, but you heard him. The Thule are still out there… hidden, active." He sighed. He unwound the scroll and looked at the last name on it. "That's my grandfather. He left me something important." He muttered as he took a pen out of his pocket. "Something only I can do."

Aaron wrote his name on the scroll, then rolled it up and placed it in the Golem's mouth. The Golem breathed deeply and straightened his shoulders before turning to face Aaron.

"It looks like I'm the Judah Initiative now," Aaron noted.

"Yifalchunbee."

Aaron looked confused. "B-but I thought I did."

"Yes." The Golem bowed his head to Aaron.

Dean looked at Sam and Angela while Aaron looked up at the Golem.

~/~\~

Sam took a card from a drawer and walked towards the table, where Angela sat, as Dean walked into the room.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked as he opened the fridge.

Sam took a seat next to Angela. "Ordering—I'm making, a, uh, card entry for our, uh, copies from the Thule's red ledger for our collection."

Dean looked down at the beers in his hands, looked at Sam, then put the beers back. "So, uh, what? Aaron's a J.I., and… you're a Man of Letters now? Is that it?"

"I think it's nice that Sam is embracing being a Man of Letters," Angela commented, resting her head on Sam's shoulder.

Dean poured scotch from a decanter on one of the bookshelves. He walked over and set a glass down in front of Sam. "Good."

Sam looked up at Dean. He picked up his glass and sniffed at it. Dean sat down across from the couple and put his feet up.


	27. Trial and Error Part 1

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Dean set down a _'Led Zeppelin'_ album and repositioned a gun on a hook on the wall before patting it twice. He pulled a photo out of his wallet and looked at it longingly.

"Hey, Mom." He whispered.

Dean placed the photo of himself as a child with his mother on the light stand that was on the desk, sandwiched between an old tape dispenser and a manual typewriter.

"Wow." Sam raised his brows.

Dean turned around. Sam stood in the doorway, his arm wrapped around Angela's waist. Angela rested a hand on her extremely swollen stomach, about nine months along at this point.

"Not bad," Sam added.

"Not bad?" Dean scoffed slightly. "I haven't had my own room—ever. I'm making this awesome. I got my kickass vinyl, I've got this killer mattress." He explained as he sat down on the bed. "Memory foam—it _remembers_ me."

"Sam doesn't want to decorate," Angela complained. "Also, our mattress is as hard as a rock."

Sam pulled away from Angela slightly and took a piece of gum out of the wrapper and stuck it into his mouth.

"Sammy's lame." Dean shrugged, looking around his room. "This place is clean, too. There's no funky smell. There's no creepy motel stains."

Sam tossed the gum wrapper at the wastebasket, missing it by a few inches.

"Really?" Dean deadpanned.

Sam held up both hands in defense. "Sorry."

"I'm gonna go fix us some grub," Dean muttered, clearly annoyed with his brother.

Dean walked away, and Sam moved into the room, noticing the photo of Dean and their mom. Sam looked around the nicely furnished and neat room, smiling slightly. Angela shifted slightly as a mild pain started to creep through her body. Sam must've noticed because he walked over, a concerned expression on his face.

"Are you okay, Angie?" Sam frowned.

The pain quickly subsided and she nodded. "Yeah, I think it was just a cramp."

~/~\~

Sam and Angela sat at the table in the Men of Letters' bunker. Dean walked into the room carrying three plates.

"What you reading?"

"Sort of, uh, everything," Sam replied.

"We _should_ be working on the nursery," Angela muttered. "Considering we have _maybe_ a week until the baby arrives."

Dean put down two plates in front of the couple. "Sammy and I will get right on that, sweetheart." He assured. "But somebody's gotta dig through this stuff, and it ain't gonna be me."

Sam lifted the top bun off the burger on his plate. "You made these?"

"We have a real kitchen now." Dean shrugged.

"I know," Sam replied. "I-I just didn't think you knew what a kitchen was."

"I'm nesting, okay?" Dean defended. "Eat."

Sam and Angela both took big bites out of their burgers. Dean, smiling, watched expectantly.

"Huh? Yeah."

"Wow," Sam replied through a mouthful of food.

"Holy crap," Angela mumbled. "This is amazing, Dean."

"You're welcome." Dean grinned.

Dean was about to take a bite of his burger when his cell phone started to ring. He sighed, then pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"Yo," Dean answered.

 _"Dean?"_ Kevin's voice rang through. _"Come quick."_

Dean frowned. "What? Kevin? Kevin?!"

"Something wrong?" Angela asked concernedly.

"Guess." Dean sighed, hanging up.

Dean stood with his plate in his hands and walked out of the room. Sam and Angela stood up and started to follow Dean. Sam stopped, grabbed both his and Angela's plates, then ran after his wife and brother.

~/~\~

_Warsaw, Missouri_

The three hunters walked into the boat, guns at the ready.

"Kevin?" Sam called out. "It's us."

Dean headed towards a door marked _'N 2Rt stb.'_ He opened the door and saw Kevin vomiting. Dean grimaced in disgust.

"Found him."

Sam and Angela entered the doorway as well. Kevin just kept puking.

~/~\~

Kevin sat at the table, wiping his bloody nose.

"Wow. You look like hammered crap." Dean commented.

"Yeah," Kevin replied nasally.

"Are you sleeping, hon?" Angela asked concernedly.

"Not really?"

"Are you eating?" Angela questioned, her brows raised.

"Hot dogs, mostly." Kevin shrugged.

"Sure, yeah—breakfast of champions." Dean scoffed. "Look, I'm gonna feel dirty saying this, but you might want a salad and a shower."

"I know, and I've been getting bad headaches and nosebleeds, and I think maybe I had a small stroke," Kevin explained. "But it was worth it."

Sam's brows furrowed. "What was worth it?"

"I figured out how to close the Gates of Hell." Kevin smiled.

"You—

Sam, Angela, and Kevin chuckled. Dean grinned.

"Come here, you smelly son of a bitch," Dean demanded as he gave Kevin a big hug, lifting him up off the ground.

Everyone laughed happily in celebration of the good news.

Sam clapped his hands. "Okay, okay. So, what does this mean? What are we looking at?"

"It's a spell," Kevin answered.

"And?" Angela pressed.

"And it's just a few words of Enochian, but…" Kevin handed a piece of paper to Angela. "The spell has to be spoken after you finish each of the three trials."

"T-trials, like, uh, like _'Law & Order'?"_ Sam asked.

Angela handed Sam the piece of paper.

"More like Hercules." Kevin corrected. "The tablet says, 'Whosoever chooses to undertake these tasks should fear not danger, nor death, nor…' A word I think means getting your spine ripped out through your mouth for all eternity."

"Good times," Dean muttered sarcastically.

"Basically, God built a series of tests, and when you've done all three, you can slam the gates," Kevin explained.

Angela's brows furrowed slightly. "So, what—God wants us to take the SATs?"

"I-I guess." Kevin shrugged. "Uh, he works in mysterious ways."

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, mysterious, douchey ways. Alright." He sighed. "Where do we start?"

"I've only been able to crack one of the tests so far, and it's gross," Kevin replied. "You've got to kill a house of hell and bathe in its blood."

"Awesome," Dean smirked.

"Awesome?" Sam and Angela asked incredulously.

"Yeah." Dean shrugged. "Hey, if this means icing all demons, I got no problem gutting some devil dog and letting Calgon take me away."

"Where are you gonna find one?" Kevin asked.

"Well, Hellhounds like to collect on crossroads deals," Dean replied obviously. "So, all we got to do is track down some loser who signed over his special sauce 10 years ago, get between him and Clifford the big dead dog—easy."

"Doesn't sound easy," Kevin muttered.

"It's not." Angela rolled her eyes.

"Look, you and Sammy get on the net—see what you can dig up," Dean instructed. "I'm gonna go for a supply run because we need goofer dust, and the kid needs to eat something that's not ground-up hooves and pigs' anuses—not that there's anything wrong with that."

"Are you _trying_ to make me throw up?" Angela folded her arms across her chest.

Dean smiled smugly and walked out the door.

~/~\~

Kevin walked back into the main compartment. He was freshly showered, shaven, and was wearing clean clothing.

"Okay, I feel a lot better." He sighed, picking up a coffee cup from the table.

"Hey, Kevin, honey, you got to slow down," Angela replied softly.

Kevin's brows furrowed, and a frown formed on his face. "What?"

"Get some sleep. Take a day off. Open a window." Angela replied.

"No," Kevin replied firmly. "You guys said nuking Hell—that's how I get out. That's how I go home."

"Right, it is," Sam agreed. "But, Angie's right. You can't live like this."

"You think I want to?" Kevin raised his brows. "I hate it here. I can't leave because every demon on the planet wants to peel my face off. I can't talk to anyone except you guys or Garth, when he swings by, or my mom. Right? And when she calls, all she does is cry. I just… I need this to be over."

"We know. We do." Sam assured. "But trust me on this—this whole 'saving the world' thing—it's a marathon, not a sprint. You got to take better care of yourself."

Suddenly, a heavy, squeaky door could be heard opening.

"Hey," Dean greeted. "Did you know that there are, like, 6,000 different kinds of tomatoes?" he asked as he put the plastic bags on the table. "Did you find anything?"

"Yeah," Angela nodded. "Demon signs, 10 years ago, all centered on Shoshone, Idaho."

"Okay, well, big-time mojo means a big-time freak," Dean replied. "So, anybody have a horseshoe shoved up his ass?"

Sam chuckled. "That's one way of putting in. Meet the Cassitys, small-time farmers who struck oil on their land in February of '03, which is weird because geological surveys—

"Yeah, you had me at 'weird.'" Dean cut him off. "Alright. We thinking deal?"

"Best lead we've got." Angela shrugged.

"Well, let's go visit the Beverly Hillbillies." Dean nodded. "You stay here." He addressed Kevin. "Work on step number two, and, uh, if you come across anything about Hellhounds, drop a dime, okay? Drop a dime, okay? 'Cause between the—the claws and the teeth and the whole invisibility thing, those bitches can be… real bitches." He explained as he pulled out two bottles. "I got you a present. The, uh, blue ones are for the headaches, and the green ones are for pep. Don't O.D." he smacked Kevin's arm.

"Thanks?" Kevin replied uncertainly.

The three hunters started to walk away.

"You sure about that?" Angela asked quietly. "I'm worried about him, Dean."

"We are on the one-yard-line," Dean muttered. "It is time to play through the pain."

~/~\~

_Shoshone, Idaho_

The Impala rolled up to the gates of _'Cassity Farms.'_ The gates automatically opened and the Impala rolled up the driveway. Dean shut the engine off.

"Alright, keep an eye out," Dean instructed. "Anybody with a Hellhound on their ass is gonna be showing signs—hallucinating, freaking out—the usual."

"And if we find someone?" Angela asked, grimacing in pain as she felt another quick cramp ripple throughout her body. "Ow..."

"You guys get 'em clear. I spike Fido." Dean replied, holding up the demon knife. "The crowd goes wild."

"Baby, are you sure that you're okay?" Sam's brows furrowed.

"Sam, I'm fine," Angela assured. "It almost feels like period cramps, it's not _that_ bad."

Dean put the knife in his jacket pocket, and the three hunters got out of the car. They heard the ratchet of a wrench and noticed a tractor with a body on a mechanic's dolly working under it.

"Hey, pal, who runs this joint?" Dean asked.

A pretty, young, Hispanic woman slid out from under the tractor. "You're looking at her." She replied with a slight accent.

Sam raised his brows. "You… own the ranch?"

"Nope, just manage the property. You guys here about the job?"

"Yes," Angela smiled, resting a hand on her stomach. "We have a baby on the way, and we could use a little extra income."

Ellie nodded and looked between the brothers. "Ever worked a farm before?"

"Definitely." Dean lied, causing Ellie to raise her brows questionably.

"We're quick learners." Sam smiled.

"Ellie…" Carl walked up. "Who we got here."

"I'm Angela." She introduced. "This is my husband, Sam and my brother-in-law, Dean."

"Oh. Carl Granville." He smiled. "A pleasure."

"Pleasure." Sam nodded. "So, you're not a Cassity?"

"No, my wife is." Carl chuckled. "She and her family own the place. I'm just one of those, uh—what you call 'em? Trophy husbands." He smiled before turning to Ellie. "So, we, uh, hiring the fellas?"

"Not sure yet," Ellie replied.

"Oh, come on." Carl urged. "They seem swell!"

"Well, he's right." Dean smiled charmingly. "We're swell."

~/~\~

"You bed down in here," Ellie explained. "Breakfast is at 5:00, dinner is at 8:00, and in between, you're mine. Questions?"

"I miss my room," Dean grumbled.

Angela gave Dean a look and then smiled at Ellie. "We're good."

"Okay." She nodded. "Job is yours if you want it. But I better warn you—it's crap work."

~/~\~

Dean was shoveling manure, a grimace on his face. "Crap—she literally meant crap." He grunted as he dumped a shovel of manure into a wheel barrel. He walked over to a horse with its head hanging out of the stall. "I hate you."

"I don't care." Alice scoffed. "Do I look like a hippie?"

Ellie and Alice stood at the barn's entrance, clearly having a heated discussion.

"Organic food is better for the cattle," Ellie argued.

"My land, my animals, my money, my way—end of story," Alice replied before storming off.

"She's a real piece of work, huh?" Dean raised his brows.

Ellie sighed heavily. "Alice Cassity's a piece of something, alright. But what are we gonna do? She's the boss."

"Drink?" Dean smirked.

Ellie smiled slightly before walking off. Dean stared after her before turning to the couple.

"So, what are we thinking?" Angela asked.

"What, deal wise?" Dean replied. "Well, Ellie's the help, so that rules her out."

"And Carl doesn't really seem like the sell-your-soul type." Sam sighed. "So, Alice?"

"Ding-ding-ding." Dean nodded.

"Should we talk to her?" Angela asked.

"Why? So she can lie to us and then call the cops? No." Dean shook his head. "No, we're gonna have to go stalker on this one."

~/~\~

"God almighty." The Sheriff knelt by Carl's sheet-covered body.

"I'm sorry, Ellie." Dean apologized. "Carl seemed like a good guy."

"The best." She whispered.

"You say his head was practically ripped off?" Sam asked.

The Sheriff narrowed his eyes. "And you are?"

"Just curious," Sam replied.

"He's new." Ellie cut in. "He works here."

The Sheriff just nodded. "Carl died bad—let's leave it at that. They've been reintroducing wolves 'round these parts, but I never thought…"

"This wasn't a wolf," Ellie muttered. "I got to make some phone calls. The whole family's flying in for this."

"All the Cassitys under one roof." The Sheriff muttered. "Good luck."

"Oh, son of a bitch," Dean muttered.

"So, what do you think?" Angela asked.

"I think Carl signed the deal, and now he's dog food. Hellhound's gone, and we were too busy chasing a pile of jack to stop it." Dean shook his head. "Let's grab our stuff and get out of here."

~/~\~

Sam and Angela walked into the barn. Alice was brushing one of the horses calmly.

"You okay, Mrs. Cassity?" Angela asked softly.

"Fine." She murmured.

Sam's brows furrowed skeptically. "You sure?"

"I really am." She murmured. "And… I know I shouldn't be, because I loved Carl… I think. I just can't remember why."

Both Sam and Angela looked even more confused at her answer.

"What do you mean?" Angela frowned.

"I mean… Carl grew up around here. We went to school together, and he was always mooning over me." Alice explained. "But I never—I used to make fun of him."

"When did you two get together?" Sam questioned.

"Valentine's Day, 2003," Alice answered. "I was at this party. Carl was there, and it was like I was seeing him for the first time. You know, suddenly he was cute and smart and funny. It was magic. Carl and I were happy for 10 years. Now he's dead, and I'm not sad or angry. I'm just… fine."

~/~\~

Angela started to feel a slight pain in her lower back. She stopped walking and rubbed her back, catching Sam's attention.

"Okay, seriously," Sam sighed. "What's going on?"

"It might be contractions..." Angela theorized.

 _"What?"_ Sam's brows shot up.

"Sammy, it's nothing to be worried about," she assured. "Not yet, at least. They're extremely short and mild."

"Okay, but, still... shouldn't we head to a hospital?" Sam asked.

"No, not until my water breaks. And that could be _hours_ from now." Angela explained.

~/~\~

Dean zipped his bag closed as Sam and Angela walked into the ranch-hand bedroom.

"Hey, we, uh, we have any graveyard dirt?" Dean asked.

"We should." Sam shrugged. "Why?"

"Yarrow?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Sam's brows furrowed.

"No." Angela realized. "Dean, no! We're not summoning a crossroads demon."

"Plan 'A' bombed, so welcome to plan 'B'—we get some red-eyed bitch in a trap, then we hold a knife on her until she calls us in a pooch—special delivery," Dean explained.

"Angie's right, Dean." Sam agreed. "When Crowley finds out we're dialing up Hell, he won't send one Hellhound—he'll send a hundred. That's not a plan, Dean—that's suicide."

"Well, either of you got a better idea?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, we stay here," Angela replied. "We just talked to Alice in the barn. Carl didn't sell his soul for oil—he sold it for Alice."

"His wife?" Dean raised his brows.

"He loved her, she barely noticed him, so he made a deal," Angela replied. "And now that time's up, it's like she barely even knew the guy."

"You think our demon signed up more than one schmuck while he was in town?" Dean questioned.

"Wouldn't be the first time." Sam sighed. "Look, Dean, this family's rich because someone booked a one-way ticket downstairs. And as of tomorrow, they're all gonna be right here."

"And you guys want to scope 'em out?" Dean asked.

"We wanna kill a Hellhound and not die." Angela retorted. "How 'bout you?"

Dean sighed. "Two days—then we do it my way."

~/~\~

An SUV pulled up and parked. An older man with gray hair exited the vehicle wearing cowboy boots, nice trousers and jacket, bolo shoestring tie, and cowboy hat. Ellie, Sam, Dean, and Angela stood watching as Alice greeted the man.

"Meet Noah Cassity," Ellie started. "He's 71, worth a billion, and just married wife number five, a 20-year-old lingerie model."

"'Cause they have so much in common?" Dean scoffed.

"Alice is his oldest, and that's Cindy, the middle girl. She had a single on the country charts a few years ago." Ellie explained. "Then she started hitting the bottle, and, well… her last album was a bunch of holiday songs for dogs. My favorites were 'Jingle Bark Rock' and 'Don't Pee on this Tree: Happy Arbor Day.'"

"So, she's the devil," Dean replied.

"Pretty much." Ellie nodded. "And there's the baby—Margot. She ran away just before Alice and Carl tied the knot, lives in Paris."

"How do you know all this?" Angela asked curiously.

"I've been working on this farm since I was 13, and I've got eyes," Ellie smirked. "Okay, tonight is an all-hands-on-deck situation. I'm gonna need two of you inside, serving dinner and pouring drinks—a lot of drinks. And somebody's gonna man the grill."

Dean raised his brows. "What kind of grill?"

~/~\~

Dean, wearing an apron, was manning the grill. Ellie came up behind him as he flipped a steak.

"Impressed?" Dean smirked.

"I do like a man who can handle his meat." She practically purred.

~/~\~

Sam, shirt sleeves rolled up, poured wine into Cindy's glass. The Cassitys were seated at the table, everyone had large glasses of red wine and plates loaded with food. Margot pushed her food around on her plate.

"Really?" Cindy looked up at Sam. "Keep it coming, Ken doll."

"You're the best, Ellie." Noah winked as she took his plate away.

"Al, I'm so sorry about Carl." Margot apologized. "I mean, he was the love of your life."

"Right." Alice nodded.

Noah scoffed. "Please, she can do better."

"Maybe Alice should marry a child—take after her father." Cindy sassed.

Noah rolled his eyes. "Ivanka's not a child."

"Right." Cindy nodded. "She's a prostitute who looks like a child."

"Are you done?" Margot asked. "Alice is in mourning."

"Oh, I'm sorry Margie," Cindy replied sarcastically. "I didn't see you there—you're too far up on your high horse." She laughed as Angela took her plate away. "Oh, yes, but you are right—we should all take a minute and say a few words about Carl. You first. Was he a good lay?"

Alice frowned deeply. "What?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" Cindy raised her brow. "Yeah, daddy caught 'em going at it in the barn."

"Al, it was before you two got together," Margot assured. "I mean, Carl—he loved you!"

"Yeah, that was back when Margie was fat and Cin was sober, a long time ago." Noah comforted.

"Get cancer and die, old man." Cindy smiled.

"You first, sweetie." Noah retorted.

~/~\~

"Are they always like this?" Angela asked.

"More or less," Ellie replied.

"How can you work here?" Sam asked as he opened a bottle of wine.

"I love the property, I love the animals, and I tune out the people." Ellie smiled.

~/~\~

"Well, I can't remember the last time we all sat down and had a meal together," Alice commented.

"It was back at the old, crappy house when daddy invited that traveling salesman to dinner," Cindy replied.

"Oh, him." Margot nodded.

"He was so charming," Alice recalled.

"Yeah, English." Cindy nodded.

"What was his name—Kenny?" Noah asked.

"Crowl…" Margot, Alice, and Cindy muttered.

Angela walked in carrying a bottle of wine as the three Cassity sisters tried to sound through the name. Angela frowned as she realized who they were remembering.

"Crowl…" the three sisters trailed off. "Crowley?"

~/~\~

"Crowley?" Dean asked, wide-eyed.

"That's what they said." Angela sighed. "Apparently, he swung through town 10 years ago, to the day."

"So, what—do you think tea and crumpets made these deals and now he's collecting?" Dean asked.

"Or he just sent his dog—told it to go fetch." Sam sighed. "Dude's king of Hell. Grabbing a few souls—that's got to be below his pay grade."

"I guess." Dean sighed. "Any idea who signed the dotted line?"

"We have no clue. It's brutal in there." Angela replied as Dean's phone started to ring.

"Hey, Kev, what's up?" Dean asked.

 _"Hey, Dean, good news, uh, I think… kind of."_ Kevin's voice rang through.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Don't oversell it."

 _"Sorry,"_ Kevin replied. _"Um, I found something on the tablet, uh, about Hellhounds. Uh, this mean anything to you—'the dire creatures may be seen only by the damned or through an object scorched with holy fire'?"_

"Like with holy oil?" Sam asked.

"It's got to be," Angela replied. "We could use a window."

 _"Or glasses."_ Kevin cut in.

"I think we've still got some Jesus juice left in the trunk," Dean recalled. "Alright, I'll take care of the, uh, the X-ray specs. You guys stay here. Do not let J.R. and the gang out of your sight, alright?"

"Right." Sam nodded. "Hey, Kevin, uh, you did great, man."

"Get some sleep, honey," Angela added.

_"Okay. Tha—_

Dean shut his phone off, cutting Kevin off.

~/~\~

Dean searched through containers of tools, paint supplies, tool shelves, and found three pairs of glasses. He held up one pair up to the light.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were removing plates from the table. Cindy, wine glass in hand, and Alice were sitting there.

"Oh, look." Cindy gestured. "Daddy's drunk and armed. Must be Christmas."

Sam and Angela frowned and ran out of the dining room.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela, now wearing their jackets, ran after Noah and Margot.

"Hey! Hey, hey, hey!" Sam called out. "Where are you going?"

"Wherever I damn well please," Noah replied. "The wolf that killed my son-in-law… he's a man-eater, got to be put down."

"Doing this for Carl." Margot nodded.

"Okay, just—just hold on a second." Angela pleaded.

"No, going now."

"We'll come with you," Sam suggested.

Noah stopped and turned around to face the couple. "You know anything about hunting?"

Angela straightened up. "A little bit, yeah."

Noah nodded his head towards Margot, and she handed her rifle to Sam.

"Let's do it." Noah nodded.

~/~\~

Dean, holding the ancient jar with holy oil, poured some oil onto the floor, lit a match, and passed a pair of glasses through the fire. He did the same with the second and third pairs. He put on a pair and looked around. He saw Ellie walking toward the dire and stamped out the fire.

"I like it…" Ellie smirked as Dean took the glasses off. "The whole Clark Kent look."

"Ellie, hey." Dean greeted.

"Hey, so…" she got close and put her hand on Dean's chest. "I think you're really hot. You want to go to my room and have sex?"

"What?" Dean squeaked.

"I—sorry. I don't usually do this." Ellie admitted. "I guess I'm feeling my oats."

Dean sighed heavily. "I can't."

"What?" Ellie pulled away. "Okay. Uh, embarrassing."

"Oh, no, no, no. No, I want to." Dean chuckled. "Believe me."

"No, it's okay—you don't. I guess I'm gonna…"

"Ellie, um… rain check?" Dean suggested.

"This is one night only. Sorry." She replied before walking away.

~/~\~

Noah, Margot, Angela, and Sam walked through the woods. All four held their guns out, pointed to the ground. The couple heard a branch snap, and they turned towards the sound, rifles up. Suddenly, a rifle cocked, the barrel shoved in front of Sam's face.

"Watch yourself, boy," Noah warned. "Where's Margie?"

"We thought she was with you." Angela frowned.

They heard Margie scream and ran towards the sound. The Hellhound was barking and snarling. Margot was on the ground, still screaming. Sam, Angela, and Noah ran into the small clearing. The Hellhound tore into Margot. Sam fired his rifle at the Hellhound, hitting it.

"Oh, my God! No!" Noah yelled.

"Go back to the house." Sam grabbed Noah, forcing him away from Margot. "Go! Move!"

"No!" Noah cried.


	28. Trial and Error Part 2

Noah, Cindy, and Alice sat in the living room, clearly upset. Dean, Angela, and Sam walked into the room.

"What was that thing?" Noah demanded.

"It was a Hellhound," Dean replied bluntly. "See, when you sell your soul to a demon, they're the ones that come and rip it out of you."

"Demon?" Alice frowned.

"Crowley," Dean replied. "Poncey guy, about yea big, mountain of dicks. We know he was here 10 years ago, making dreams come true. Now, if you didn't sign, great. That freak out there won't touch you. But if you did, I need to know, and I need to know now. So, hands up."

"So, wait." Noah frowned. "T-the British guy was a demon, and now there's a Hellhound after us? A-are you insane."

"They're obviously insane." Cindy cut in.

"Don't play dumb." Sam scoffed slightly.

"Yeah. I'm not playing. I didn't sell my damn soul."

"Well, somebody did," Angela retorted. "And the sooner they own up, the sooner the rest of you can go."

Cindy and Alice just looked around.

"Alright, seal 'em in," Dean instructed.

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"What?!" Alice cried.

"Look, I'm gonna spread goofer dust around the doors, the windows. That will keep the Hellhound out… for a while." Sam explained.

"What is that—how long?" Noah asked.

"Long enough for me to stab it in its throat," Dean replied.

Noah sighed. "No way. No way. You can't do this. You can't—

"Yes, I can. You want to know why? Because it's what I do. And, buddy, I'm the best." Dean glared. "See, I gut old yeller out there, and maybe—just maybe—you walk away. I don't—you're meat. So, sit down, shut up… and put these on." He held up a pair of handcuffs.

~/~\~

"I don't… Who are you people?" Alice asked as Angela handcuffed her.

"We're here to help," Angela assured.

"Like you helped Margie?" Noah scoffed.

"When the Hellhound gets close, you might start seeing things, hearing things," Sam explained. "It's gonna feel like you took the brown acid, and it's trying to kill you. The handcuffs are so you won't hurt yourselves."

"And when one of you starts bugging out, we'll know who's on tap to be puppy chow," Dean added before walking away.

Dean poured goofer dust as Sam and Angela walked up behind him.

"So… what's our play?" Sam asked.

"Well, you and Angie camp here, figure out who whored their soul," Dean replied. "I'm gonna go scout the grounds—see if I can't gank Huckleberry Hound before he makes his next move."

"Wait," Sam frowned. "You're not going alone, Dean. I'm gonna come with you."

"Wrong." Dean retorted.

"Uh, they're on lockdown and Angie will be here," Sam replied. "You need backup."

"No, I don't." Dean rolled his eyes.

"Yes, you do."

"No, I need you to be safe, Sam, okay? That's what I need." Dean stressed. "Angie, back me up here."

Angela sighed heavily. "Look, I want nothing more than for _both_ of you to be safe. But, Dean, you can't take on a Hellhound alone. Sam's right, you need backup."

"Exactly. Plus, when are we ever safe?" Sam raised his brows.

"This is different." Dean shrugged.

"How?"

"Because of the three trials crap—God's little obstacle course. We've been down roads like this before—with Yellow Eyes, Lucifer, Dick friggin' Roman." Dean sighed. "We all know where this ends—one of us dies… or worse."

"So, what—you just up and decided it's gonna be you?" Sam asked.

"I'm a grunt, Sam. You're not." Dean pursed his lips. "You've always been the brains of this operation."

"Dean—

"And you told me yourself that you see a way out." Dean cut him off. "You see a light at the end of this ugly-ass tunnel. I don't. But I tell you what I do know—it's that I'm gonna die with a gun in my hand. 'Cause that's what I have waiting for me—that's all I have waiting for me." He explained. "I want you and Angie to get out. I want you guys to have a life—Sam, become a Man of Letters, whatever. You and Angie can give you daughter a brother or sister down the road—and—and later on you'll have grandkids, living till you're fat and bald and chugging Viagra—that's my perfect ending, and it's the only one I'm gonna get. So, I'm gonna do these trials. I'm gonna do them alone—end of story. You're staying here. I'm going out there. If Landshark comes knocking, you call me. If you try to follow me, I'm gonna put a bullet in your damn leg."

~/~\~

Dean walked outside and he pulled the glasses from his pocket and put them on. He heard music and walked towards the closed barn door. Dean slid the door open and walked inside, closing the door behind him. He took off the glasses and pocketed them.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela, wearing their holy-oiled glasses, looked outside while the Cassitys bickered.

"You sold your soul. Admit it." Cindy accused.

"Why the hell would you think that?" Noah countered.

"'Cause you're a walking corpse, and you're married to a centerfold. I did the math."

Noah rolled his eyes. "She likes money, and I'm rich. Do it again. You sing like crap, so explain the music career."

"Hello—auto-tune!"

"Alright," Sam sighed. "That's enough."

Cindy glared at him. "Oh, is it, four-eyes? Is it enough?"

"I don't know why you even think one of us made a deal." Noah scoffed.

"Because you struck oil where there was no oil," Angela replied. "That didn't seem weird to you?"

"Margie," Alice whispered. "Margie used to say that—that if we were rich, we'd all be happy."

Noah scoffed. "Right. We're the damn Waltons."

~/~\~

Dean continued walking towards the music, and it led him to Ellie's room. He opened the door and walked in quietly. Ellie was dancing to the music, drinking from a bottle of beer, and wore a lacy camisole. Dean turned off the radio and the music stopped, causing Ellie to turn around.

"Just in time." She smirked flirtatiously.

"Ellie, are you okay?" Dean asked.

"I'm good. And I bet you're great." She leaned in for a kiss. "Yep, great." She smirked as she pulled away.

"Okay. Listen…" Dean sighed. "Okay, whatever happens, whatever you hear, you need to stay in here with that door locked. Sit tight, okay? This is gonna sound crazy, but there is something evil out there."

Ellie paused for a moment. "I know."

Dean's brows furrowed. "You know?"

"It's coming for me."

~/~\~

Alice was agitatedly struggling with the handcuffs.

"I need to take a leak," Noah commented.

"Hold it." Sam retorted.

"Yeah, at my age? Not really an option." Noah replied. "So either you let me go or get me a bottle."

"Ugh," Cindy replied, obviously disgusted. "You're disgusting."

Sam moved to look out the window. Still wearing the glasses he saw the outside of the Hellhound. Alice managed to get out of the handcuffs and ran to the door. Sam turned around to see the door closing.

"Stay here." He told Angela firmly. "Wait!" he called after Alice.

~/~\~

Sam managed to catch up to Alice, who was running towards her car.

"No!" she cried. "No, no, please. Just let me go, please." She begged as Sam grabbed her arm. "No! Please, don't hurt my family."

"I'm not. I'm trying to help you." He assured. "Get in the house."

"What? What?"

"Go!" Sam yelled.

"Oh, God!" Alice cried.

"Go!"

~/~\~

Dean and Ellie sat on the foot railing of her bed.

"When my parents split up, my mom took a job here." She explained. "This was before the Cassitys had money, but it was the best she could do. So, I grew up on this farm."

"That's how you met Crowley?" Dean sighed.

"They had this big dinner, and after, I saw him kissing Margie." She recalled. "I ran. I didn't know what to do. But Crowley found me. We talked. He seemed so nice."

Dean scoffed. "The best con men always do."

"He asked me, if I had one wish, what would it be? So, I told him."

"And he made you sign over your soul."

"He didn't make me do anything." Ellie retorted. "My mom—she had Parkinson's—early stages, and I knew how that story would end. So, I took the deal. Ma is retired down in Phoenix now, plays golf every day."

Dean shook his head. "That was a stupid move, Ellie."

"I did it for my mom, Dean," Ellie replied. "What would you do for your mom?"

Dean sighed heavily. "You had to know this was coming."

"No." she stressed. "How?"

Dean looked confused. "Crowley didn't tell you about the 10-year ticking clock?"

"What? I knew that when I died, I wasn't going to Heaven, but he never said anything about that or monsters."

"What a douche bag." Dean shook his head. "He probably didn't say jack to Carl or Margot, either."

Ellie's brows furrowed. "Margie made a deal? So she's…"

"She's gone."

"Oh, God." She gasped. "I… a few years ago, Carl got drunk. He told me he did some kind of magic at a crossroads—summoned a demon. I put two and two together, and when I saw what that thing did to him… I just never knew about Margie. I thought I was next."

"And you didn't run?" Dean asked incredulously.

"Where would I run?" she countered. "All I wanted was one last meal, some good tunes, and maybe…" she looked towards Dean, who glanced at the bed. "I don't want to die."

Suddenly, they both looked up when the heard howling in the distance. Ellie gasped when Dean's face turned demonic.

"Dean, what's happening?"

"Ellie, whatever you're seeing, it's not real." He assured. "It means the Hellhound—it's close. Look, you need to stay inside this circle, okay?" he explained as he made a circle using goofer dust. "Now."

"Dean…" Ellie started as she stepped inside the circle.

"No matter what happens, you stay inside that circle." He stressed. "You understand me?"

Ellie nodded and Dean left, closing the door behind him.

~/~\~

Dean stood outside Ellie's door and started walking through the barn as he put his glasses on. He slid one of the barn doors open, clutching the demon knife tightly. Dean noticed the outline of the Hellhound, growling and snarling.

"Oh, so you're Crowley's bitch. I guess pets really do look like their owners." Dean muttered. "What are you waiting for?! Come and get it!"

The Hellhound attacked Dean, clawing his left side. Dean was thrown into the wall, fell, dropped the knife, and the glasses fell off his face. Dean grunted and pulled his hand away, revealing blood.

The Hellhound stomped towards Dean, paw prints showing in the dust. Suddenly, there was a gunshot and the hound whined in pain. Sam walked into the barn wearing the glasses and shot the Hellhound again. Dean spotted the knife in the dirt and rolled towards it. The Hellhound attacked Sam, barking fiercely. Sam, lying flat on the ground, held the snarling Hellhound with his left hand. Angela ran into the barn just as Sam slit the Hellhound's belly with the knife. The Hellhound was gutted and Sam was bathed in black blood. Angela knelt down next to Sam as the hound fell to the ground, dead.

~/~\~

Dean patted his left side and grunted.

"You need to go to a hospital," Ellie commented.

"Oh, I've had worse."

Ellie looked towards Sam and Angela. Sam's t-shirt was covered in black blood, and Angela stood with her arms folded across her chest.

"It's true." She sighed. "He's had worse."

Ellie nodded and looked up at Dean. "So, what now?"

"Now we make a hex bag, and you start running," Dean answered. "If Crowley can't find you, then he won't be able to sic another mutt on you."

"So, I'm not going to Hell?"

"Not on my watch," Dean assured. "Will you give us a minute?"

"Sure." Ellie nodded.

"Thanks."

Ellie walked out of the room. Dean snapped his fingers at Sam.

"Dean, even if she can dodge Crowley," Angela sighed. "As soon as Ellie dies, her soul is earmarked for Hell."

"Not if we shut it down first." Dean retorted.

"The spell's not gonna work for you, Dean," Sam noted.

Dean sighed and pulled the paper with the spell out of his pocket. "Kah-nuh-ahm-dahr." He chanted. He looked around, but nothing happened. "Doesn't matter. We'll track down another Hellhound, and I'll kill it."

"No." Sam shook his head.

"Sam, I didn't pass the test!" Dean argued.

"But I did… And I'm doing the rest of them."

"My ass you are!" Dean snapped. "Angie, come on, smack some sense into him!"

Angela pursed her lips and shifted slightly as she started to feel a slightly harder contraction. "Dean, it would be a suicide mission to go looking for another Hellhound. I don't like it, but, this is Sam's decision…"

"I'm closing the gates, Dean," Sam stressed.

"Sam…"

"I want to slam Hell shut, too, okay? But I want to survive it. I want to live, and so should you." Sam explained. "You have friends up here, family. I mean, hell, you even got your own room now. You were right, okay? Angie and I see a light at the end of this tunnel. And I'm sorry you don't—I am. But it's there. And if you come with us, we can take you to it."

"Sam, be smart."

"I am smart, and so are you!" Sam stressed. "You're not a grunt, Dean. You're a genius—when it comes to lore, to—you're the best damn hunter I have ever seen—better than me, better than Angie, better than dad. We believe in you, Dean. So, please—please believe in me, too."

Dean slapped the paper into Sam's hand.

Sam sighed. "Kah-nuh-ahm-dar."

There was a whooshing sound. Sam went bug-eyed, twisted around, fell to his knees, and grunted in pain. Angela immediately knelt down next to him, resting her hands on his shoulders.

"Sammy?" she asked concernedly.

Sam just grunted.

"Sam!" Dean walked towards him.

Sam dropped the paper with the Enochian symbols. The veins in Sam's right hand and arm were highlighted with bright light. He grimaced in pain.

"You okay, baby?" Angela asked softly.

Sam was still gasping. The bright white light disappeared from his hand and arm, and he clenched a fist and grabbed the paper. Angela helped him stand up.

"I'm good, baby. I'm okay. I can do this." He assured softly.

Suddenly, Angela started to feel a wetness pool between her legs, and another contraction ripped through her body.

"Ah!" she yelled in pain. "We have... we have a problem."

Dean frowned deeply. "Kid, what's going on?"

"Baby?" Sam's brows furrowed in concern.

"My water just broke." she looked up at the brothers, her eyes wide.


	29. Baby Winchester

Dean sat in the front seat of the Impala, speeding down the dark road. Sam and Angela sat in the back seat. Angela sat in between Sam's legs and leaned against his chest.

"How you doin', kid?" Dean asked from the driver's seat.

Angela was about to reply when a particularly painful contraction ripped through her body. "Aaah!" she groaned, closing her eyes tightly.

Sam rubbed Angela's shoulders gently. "Dean, how long until we get to the hospital?"

Dean glanced at the clock on the dashboard. "Twenty minutes, tops."

Sam looked down at Angela. "Do you think you'll be okay for twenty minutes?"

"I'm gonna have to be…" Angela sighed. "I am _not_ having our baby in the back seat of a car."

"I second that," Dean interjected, looking at the couple in the rearview mirror.

Angela yelled in pain as another contraction coursed through her body. She screwed her eyes shut and clenched her jaw tightly.

"Ow, ow, ow!" she groaned. "Th-they're getting closer together." She breathed out.

Sam brushed Angela's hair out of her face. "Dean, is there any way you could speed up?"

The older Winchester glanced down at the speedometer and pressed harder on the gas pedal, speeding up to about 60 miles-per-hour.

~/~\~

Twenty minutes later, the three hunters burst into the hospital and rushed to the front desk.

"Excuse me," Sam said a little breathlessly. "My wife, she's going into labor."

"Has her water broken yet?" the young nurse asked.

"Yes." Sam nodded.

"Okay, I'll grab a wheelchair and we'll get you right up to labor and delivery." The nurse explained before she rushed off.

Angela bent over in pain as a harder contraction racked her body. "Aaah!" she groaned loudly.

Sam rubbed her back soothingly. "We're almost there, baby." He assured. "Look, the nurse is on her way back."

Angela looked up slightly and sure enough, the nurse was walking up and pushing a wheelchair. As soon as the nurse reached the Winchesters, both brothers helped Angela down into the chair.

"Alright, Mrs…?" the nurse trailed off, looking up at Sam.

"Winchester." He replied.

"Alright, Mrs. Winchester." The nurse smiled. "You're about to have a baby!"

Dean went to walk with the group, but the nurse was quick to stop him.

"Sir, you're going to have to stay in the waiting room." She instructed.

"Come on, he's my brother and she's my sister-in-law," Dean argued.

"I'm sorry, it's policy, sir." The nurse stressed.

"Dean, I'll have someone keep you updated," Sam assured his brother.

Dean sighed and reluctantly nodded. "Alright. Good luck in there, kid." He squeezed Angela's shoulder gently.

"Thanks, Dean." Angela smiled softly.

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, and the nurse eventually reached the labor and delivery wing and brought her to a private room.

"Alright, I'll let you get changed and settled in." the nurse smiled. "Let me know when you're done."

Sam nodded, and the nurse walked out of the room. He helped Angela out of the wheelchair and helped her change into her hospital gown. As soon as that was finished, he helped her get settled into the hospital bed.

"Are you comfortable, baby?" Sam asked.

"As comfortable as I can be," Angela replied, a faint smile on her lips.

"Right." Sam chuckled. "I'll go grab the nurse."

Sam opened the door and poked his head out, and the nurse came back into the room.

"Alright," the nurse started brightly. "Are you opting for medication, Mrs. Winchester?"

"Oh, hell yeah," Angela replied, earning a chuckle from Sam.

"Okay." The nurse replied. "Is oxytocin okay, or would you prefer an epidural?"

"Whatever will help me get this baby out faster," Angela replied.

"Oxytocin it is, then." The nurse confirmed before she administered the correct dosage. "The doctor will be right in to examine you. I'll be sure to go update your brother, and if you need anything else, just let me know."

"Thank you," Sam replied sincerely before the nurse left. Sam took one of Angela's hands in his and looked down at her. "How're you doing, baby?"

"I'm in pain. _A lot_ of pain." She managed to get out as another contraction hit her. "A-And, I'm nervous."

"Me too," Sam admitted. "But we're finally gonna meet her. After nine months…"

"I know." Angela grinned.

"I hope she looks just like you." Sam murmured.

"I hope she has your dimples. And your eyes." Angela replied. "Oh, and your smile! I love your smile."

Sam was about to say something when the doctor walked into the room, a smile on her face.

"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Winchester." She greeted. "How are we doing?"

"Good. Excited. Nervous." Angela smiled nervously.

"All normal emotions to be feeling right now." The doctor replied as she got ready to examine Angela. "Can you put your feet in the stirrups, please?"

Angela nodded and did as she was told. She shifted in the bed slightly. "God, this feels weird…"

Sam squeezed Angela's hand gently. The doctor quickly finished up the examination and stood up, taking her gloves off.

"How does everything look?" Sam asked.

"Everything looks good." The doctor confirmed. "Mrs. Winchester, you're about seven centimeters dilated." She explained. "I'll be back in an hour to check up on you."

"Thank you." Sam smiled.

The doctor flashed a smile as she walked out of the room.

~/~\~

About an hour later, the doctor walked back into the room as another painful contraction racked Angela's body. She groaned in pain as the doctor prepared to examine her again. Sam gently massaged Angela's abdomen as the contraction continued.

"Okay, you're about eight centimeters dilated." The doctor noted. "Once you're ten centimeters dilated, I'll have you start pushing."

"Okay." Angela nodded. "Ah!" she yelled as another intense contraction hit her. "Ow, ow, ow!"

"Do you want me to get you anything, baby?" Sam asked softly.

"Just stay with me, please, Sammy." Angela pleaded.

Sam leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Of course. Anything you need, Angie."

"Alright, if you feel the need to start pushing, press your call button." The doctor instructed.

"Okay." Angela nodded. "Thank you, doctor."

"You're doing great, baby." Sam praised, squeezing her hand comfortingly.

Angela smiled up at her husband, but it quickly faded as another contraction racked her body. Sam smoothed her hair back, trying to comfort her in any way possible.

"Try and relax, baby." He soothed. "Just think, we're going to meet our baby girl soon."

Angela nodded and squeezed her eyes closed as she rode out the contraction.

~/~\~

About an hour and a half later, the doctor was administering another exam.

"Okay, you are fully dilated, Mrs. Winchester." She noted. "If you're feeling the need to push, then _push."_

Angela just nodded and took a deep breath.

"You got this, baby." Sam encouraged.

As another contraction racked Angela's body, she started to push. She yelled in pain and squeezed Sam's hand as tight as she possibly could.

"Keep pushing, Angie, you're doing great." Sam praised.

Angela threw her head back into her pillow. "I hope you're okay with one baby, because I am _not_ doing this again."

"I'm okay with whatever you want," Sam assured with a smile. "You can do this."

"Keep pushing, Mrs. Winchester." The doctor instructed.

"Aaah!" Angela yelled as she continued pushing. "I can't keep doing this." She breathed.

"Baby, you _can_ do this," Sam assured. "We're going to meet our baby girl, Angie."

"I'm too tired, Sammy." She shook her head. "I—I can't keep pushing."

Sam leaned down so he could whisper in her ear. "Angela, you have helped save the world _several_ times." He reminded. "You have stood up against _Lucifer_ himself. You can and will have this baby."

Angela took a deep breath and nodded, giving a hard push. She yelled in pain and continued to squeeze Sam's hand.

"There you go. You're doing great, baby." Sam praised.

"She's crowning." The doctor smiled. "Just a few more pushes, Mrs. Winchester."

"You hear that, baby?" Sam grinned at his wife. "You can keep going, Angie, I know you can do this."

Angela continued pushing, yelling in pain as she did so. As the baby's head started to emerge, the doctor started to suction her mouth and nose and felt around for the umbilical cord.

"One more push, Mrs. Winchester!" the doctor instructed.

Angela took a deep breath and looked up at her husband. Sam squeezed her hand in encouragement.

"You can do this." Sam murmured.

Angela nodded and gave one more, final push. She screamed as she pushed, putting everything she had into it. Sam smoothed her hair back with his free hand and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. Suddenly, a loud cry filled the room, and Angela relaxed, breathing heavily.

"She's here." Sam murmured in awe, a grin on his face. "Angie, she's here."

"She's here." Angela sobbed happily as the doctor dried the baby off with a towel.

"I am so incredibly proud of you," Sam whispered. "You… you brought our baby into this world, Angela. You've given me a daughter."

"I'm so happy." Angela breathed out. "So unbelievably happy."

"Alright, Mr. and Mrs. Winchester," the doctor interjected, holding up the baby, who was now wearing a little pink hat and was wrapped in a blanket. "Here she is." She smiled as she rested the baby on Angela's bare stomach. "Dad, would you like to cut the umbilical cord?"

Sam grinned and nodded. The doctor guided him through the process, and soon enough, the umbilical cord was cut. Sam sat down on the chair next to Angela's bed.

"Hi, baby." Angela cooed, a huge grin on her face.

"She's beautiful." Sam breathed in awe.

The baby looked up at Angela with large, hazel eyes—just like Sam's, and she had a tuft of chocolate brown hair on her head.

"I knew she'd have your eyes." Angela grinned at her husband.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Winchester." The doctor smiled at the little family. "Your baby girl is perfectly healthy. Now, if you're going to breastfeed, I suggest starting now."

"Thank you," Angela replied sincerely.

"You're very welcome." The doctor smiled. "I was told your brother is still in the waiting room. Would you like me to grab him?"

"Yes, please." Sam nodded. "Thank you."

~/~\~

Dean walked into the hospital room and grinned. "There they are. How'd everything go?"

"Perfectly." Angela smiled. "Come here."

Dean walked over and peered down at the baby. "Wow. For having Gigantor here as her dad, she sure is tiny."

Angela chuckled and Sam just rolled his eyes, scoffing slightly.

"Do you want to hold her?" Sam asked his brother.

"Seriously?" Dean's eyes widened. "Yeah. _Hell yeah."_

Sam gently took the baby and handed her to Dean. "Alright, careful," Sam muttered.

"Sammy, I know how to hold a baby. Do you know how many times I held _you_ as a baby?" Dean raised his brows. He shifted the baby in his arms slightly and smiled. "Man, I am gonna spoil you rotten, sweetheart." He murmured. "She looks just like Sammy did when he was a baby."

Sam and Angela grinned at each other.

"He is _so_ wrapped around her finger." Angela giggled.

"Totally." Sam agreed. "But so am I."

"I can hear you guys." Dean retorted. "Have you two picked out a name, yet?"

"Yeah." Angela smiled at Dean. "Her name is Grace Elizabeth Winchester."

"Grace means goodness," Sam added. "Goodness and generosity."

Dean grinned down at his niece. "Welcome to the world, baby Grace."


	30. Man's Best Friend with Benefits Part 1

_St. Louis, Missouri_

The Impala's engine rumbled as Dean pulled up to the _Sleepy Lodge Motel_. Dean shut the engine off. Dean, Sam, and Angela go out of the Impala. Angela unbuckled Grace and lifted her up out of her car seat.

"Wow." Dean scoffed at his brother. "You know, of all the lame-ass things you've ever said, that's got to be the lame-assiest."

"I'm sorry," Sam shrugged as he grabbed his bags from the car. "But I happen to think Shemp was a funnier Stooge than Curly."

"Curly was a freaking genius!" Dean exclaimed as they all began to walk into the hotel room.

"Dean, shh, Grace is asleep!" Angela whisper-yelled.

"I always found Curly's work a bit obvious." Sam countered.

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked into the dark motel room. Sam walked in first and turned on the light.

"So, we calling James tonight?" Sam questioned.

"No." Dean shook his head. "I'll just call him tomorrow. That drive was a bitch." He added, closing the door behind him.

"I wonder what he wanted," Sam commented.

"Well, his text said that he needed help," Dean replied. "He's a cop. I figured it was work-related."

"Sam, can you set up the pack and play?" Angela asked.

"Sure." Sam nodded as he set his stuff on the bed. "Well, we do owe the guy, Dean."

Dean rolled his eyes. "The guy saved our lives once, Sammy. I mean, it's not like the guy—

"Saved our lives?" Sam raised his brows.

Dean nodded and sighed. "I'm gonna go for a beer run. You guys need anything?"

"No, we're good," Angela replied.

"You sure?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Sam shrugged as he started setting up the pack and play.

"Sam, you just ganked a Hellhound, which is no slice of pie, and, uh, there is a minefield of who knows what crap ahead," Dean replied. "Just want to make sure that you are okay."

"I'm good," Sam assured.

Dean pursed his lips. "'Cause, you know, we could find another devil dog. You could tag out. I could snuff the son of a bitch."

Sam rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed with his brother. "Dean, Kevin doesn't even know what the next trial is yet. So, whatever it is you're worried about, _stop._ I'll be ready."

Dean nodded his head once in acknowledgment and walked out of the hotel room door. Angela gently set Grace down in the pack and play once Sam was finished setting it up. Sam set his shaving kit on the sink of the hotel room and began to unpack it.

Angela wrapped her arms around Sam from behind. "Grace is down for the count." She smiled softly. "I can't believe she's already a few weeks old."

"I know." Sam agreed. "She's already getting so big."

Suddenly, the couple started to hear a scraping sound at the door. Sam frowned and broke away from Angela's grasp, becoming curious.

"Stay here." He instructed as he walked over to the door.

The hinges on the door creaked as Sam slowly opened the door. On the other side was a Doberman. Sam looked around for an owner and then back at the dog inquisitively when suddenly the dog ran into the room and jumped on Dean's bed.

"Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa…" Sam frowned.

Angela walked into the main room, curious as to what was going on. She frowned when she saw the dog on Dean's bed.

"Sam…" she trailed off. "What the hell?"

"Uh… I-I don't… I don't know." Sam replied as he shut the door.

Angela walked over to Dean's bed cautiously. "Hey. You friendly?" she cooed at the dog. "Friendly. Good. Alright. You're a pretty dog, aren't you?"

Sam walked over to the dog and the dog rolled over onto its back. Sam started scratching her belly and smiled.

"Oh, really? You want, uh—you want a little belly scratch, huh?" he chuckled. "So, who do you belong to? Uh…" he muttered as he checked the collar. "Right. No tags. Uh, what are you doing here?"

Headlights flashed into the motel room through the window and an engine rumbled. The couple frowned as the Impala pulled up.

"Oh, no." Sam groaned.

Sam and Angela quickly stepped outside the hotel room to greet Dean.

"Hey." Angela forced a smile.

"Hey," Dean replied.

"Okay, okay, okay." Sam started. "Before you get pissed off, look, I—I just want you to know this isn't our fault. She just showed up at the door, okay? Didn't track in any mud. Just wanted her belly scratched. I—I figured maybe she could stay tonight, and we'd try and find her a home tomorrow."

Sam opened the door with a worried half-smile on his face to show Dean what he was talking about. Dean peered into the room past Sam and Angela. He raised his brows when he noticed a very attractive, nicely dressed, woman sitting on his bed with her back against the headboard. She was wearing the same collar that dog had on, but the dog was nowhere to be found.

"She can stay the night." Dean nodded.

The couple looked surprised at Dean's response and looked back into the room. Sam and Angela frowned when they noticed the woman and looked back at Dean, obviously confused.

"Two seconds ago, she was a dog." Angela frowned.

Sam unsheathed his knife from behind his back and quickly walked back into the room and towards the woman. Angela immediately walked to the pack and play, making sure that Grace was okay.

"Alright, who the hell are you?" Sam glared.

"Not a shapeshifter." She assured. "So you can stash the blade."

Dean walked into the room and set the grocery bags onto the table. Sam stood at the end of the bed ready to strike.

"I'm a familiar."

Dean's brows furrowed. "A what?"

"Companion to a witch—some witches," Sam explained. "Split their time between human and animal form."

"I get a more accurate read on people in my other persona. Approaching guys in a motel room like this—well, it gets complicated."

"Hmm." Sam nodded.

"My name's Portia." She introduced. "I belong to James Frampton."

Dean frowned deeply. "No. No, no. See, that—that doesn't work for us, 'cause that would mean that our buddy James is a witch."

"Wow. You're quick." Portia replied sarcastically.

"James is a freaking with?" Dean's brows furrowed.

"He wasn't when you met him, but the last case you worked on with him—

"Uh, lunatic alchemist," Angela remembered, picking up Grace as she started to wake up. "It was nasty."

Portia stood up and started to walk closer to the three hunters. "James wanted to learn more about that world—the black arts, witchcraft. It became the center of his life."

"Wait, so you're telling me that James _the cop_ became a witch because of us?" Dean raised his brows. "Unh-unh."

Portia tilted her head. "You don't like dogs, do you?"

"Wait," Angela cut in. "So, James isn't a cop anymore?"

"Sure he is. Homicide detective. His new powers make his work even better."

"Then what does he need from us?" Sam questioned.

Portia sighed heavily. "Well, something's been happening to him. It started with excruciating headaches, screaming sounds in his ears, horrible nightmares. Unable to sleep or think. He can't work. It—it's like he's having a breakdown." She explained. "Maybe you can find a way to help him."

Dean scoffed. "Well, here's the thing. Uh, witches—not real fans."

Portia squared her shoulders and stepped closer to Dean so that she was right in front of him. "Really? Well, James is a cop with a _spotless_ record. He's used his skills for nothing but good. So, why don't you lose the ignorant bigotry for maybe two seconds and give him a shot?" she glared.

"That was _incredibly_ hot," Dean muttered.

Portia scoffed, and Angela just rolled her eyes.

~/~\~

"So, these dreams James is having—he thinks that they're real?" Angela asked as she tried to get Grace to go back to sleep. "He thinks that he is actually killing people?"

"I think so." Portia nodded. "At least that's what I picked up before he started blocking me."

"What does that mean, blocking you?" Sam asked curiously.

"Familiars and their masters—we can communicate telepathically." She explained. "I can get inside of James's head anytime I want. But he shut me out."

"So, what, you think maybe there's something in there he doesn't want you to see?" Sam questioned.

"Possibly, yeah—something dark, you know, that's destroying him," Portia replied. "He can't go to the police, and he doesn't trust other witches."

"But he trusts us?" Dean asked skeptically. "You do know who we are, right? We're the last people that somebody like James needs to be telling his troubles to."

"This was my idea," Portia admitted. "I was the one who sent you the texts under James's name. He doesn't know you're here. But… I think you're maybe all he has."

Sam just sighed heavily.

~/~\~

"You had no right to do this!" James yelled from another room.

"I was afraid for your life!" Portia retorted.

Sam, Dean, and Angela sat in the living room, listening to the argument between James and Portia. Angela had Grace in her lap, and was feeding her with a bottle.

"My life is none of their business!" James exclaimed.

Portia, as a dog, walked out of the room they had been arguing in and looked at the three hunters. Sam and Angela cocked their heads while Dean smiled and waved casually. Portia barked and walked into another nearby room. James walked into the living room looking disheveled.

"Sam, Dean, Angela." James greeted as they stood up.

"Witchcraft, James? Really?" Dean chastised. "What the hell are you thinking?"

"You come to help or pile on?" James asked.

Dean sighed. "I'm just saying, you screw with that stuff, you're gonna fry your wiring."

"Alright," Sam warned. "Look, why don't you tell us about these dreams? She said people were dying in them."

"Dying?" James ran a hand over his face. "They were torn to bits. I, uh, I could feel my fingers ripping into their flesh."

"But they were dreams?" Dean asked.

"Well, I, uh, woke up in my bed."

"Okay, so… Dreams?" Angela raised her brows.

James sighed heavily. "I'm not so sure."

"Not helping, James." Dean pursed his lips.

"Those people—they died. I checked with the precinct." James explained.

"Alright, well, maybe you heard it, and it stuck in your head," Angela suggested.

"You're—you don't think I—I told myself that? You don't think I didn't say, 'that wasn't me. I couldn't have done such a thing'?" he retorted.

James stepped back and reached into a bag sitting to his left and unzipped a pouch, pulling out a blood-stained shirt. Both Sam and Angela looked surprised while Dean had an 'I told you so' look on his face.

"Is it yours?" Angela asked.

James showed the initials embroidered on the pocket that read 'JMF.' "James Martin Frampton." He sighed, tossing the shirt onto the coffee table. "What's happening to me?" he muttered as he sat down.

The three hunters sat back down in their respective seats.

"Well, how about this? Um, you pissed off another witch, and he or she hexed you and forced you to…" Dean suggested.

"It's possible, I suppose." James nodded. "But I never heard of it."

"How many of these dreams have you had?" Sam asked curiously.

"Four," James answered. "The most recent one is last night. Uh, it was a blind man. I, uh… I was choking him, and, uh…"

"Alright," Dean interjected. "James, we're gonna—we're gonna help you figure this out, but you're gonna have to do your part."

"Which is?" James asked, his brows furrowing slightly.

Dean tossed a bag onto the table and it made a loud clanging sound. Dean unzipped the bag and pulled out thick chains. He held them up while looking at James.

"You're gonna have to stay put." He replied, letting the chains drop back into the bag. "House arrest, my friend."

Sam sat on his bed doing research on his computer about the case. Angela sat next to him watching Grace, who was lying on her stomach, trying to look up at her mother. Angela leaned down, putting her face in front of Grace. Dean walked into the hotel room holding a plain, small paper bag.

"Got the last of it," Dean commented.

"Alright. Well, I have been looking at the crime scene reports, and they are exactly the same as James told us—vics, dates, location." Sam explained. "The most recent one was a blind man, just like he said."

"That's not good," Dean replied.

Dean looked down at the table where there were a bunch of ingredients in jars, ready to be used. He began to take out the ingredients from the bag he brought in which appeared to be chicken feet and a black substance.

"Also, Sammy and I looked into his record on the force," Angela noted as she picked Grace up. "He went from rookie detective to lieutenant basically overnight, and in the last four years, his solve rate's been right at about 100-percent."

"Of course. He's got the Booga-Booga on his side." Dean scoffed, looking down at the ingredients on the table. "Man, you know that we've never seen this witch-killing spell of Bobby's actually work, right? I mean, this is not a sure thing."

"Is anything we ever do a sure thing?" Angela chuckled.

"Well, no, but I would just like to have the odds in our favor as much as possible." Dean sighed.

"Right?" Sam nodded, mildly confused.

"Well, I'm concerned," Dean replied obviously.

Sam sighed heavily. "Concerned about the, uh—the witch-killing spell… or that I'm gonna mess these trials up?"

"Look, we get too far down the road with this, we can't go back," Dean started, earning a soft chuckle from Sam. "And it'll be too late for me to jump in."

Angela sighed and shook her head. "Uh-oh." She cooed at her daughter. "Daddy and Uncle Dean are about to start arguing…"

"Who says that you're gonna have to?" Sam asked his brother. "You know, maybe I'll actually pull this one-off."

"I'm just saying." Dean shrugged.

"I know what you're saying, Dean. You've said it." Sam snapped. "You know, I've been going over this and over this, asking myself 'why doesn't he trust me?' And it occurred to me, finally. It's not that you don't trust me. It's that you can only trust you."

Dean clenched his jaw slightly. "Are you done?"

"Yeah, I'm done if you're done," Sam replied firmly.

Dean walked back over to the table and picked up an empty bottle. "You know, once I get this put together, we can't hesitate. If we got to use it, we use it."

"You mean if we find the witch that's doing this to James?" Angela asked.

"Or is there is no other witch," Dean replied.

"Or… it wouldn't be the first free pass we've given, Dean." Angela reminded.

"Look, I like James as much as the next guy, but people are getting ganked here," Dean replied. "Besides, Benny, Kate—they were forced to be what they are. James chose this."

~/~\~

Angela walked through the police station with a man in a white coat. Angela was dressed in a white blouse, black blazer, and matching pencil skirt.

"Vics were all torn up pretty bad." She commented.

"Like someone shredded them with their bare hands." The man replied. "Like that could happen. Ed? Ed Stoltz. He's the lead on the case. Special Agent Richards."

"Josh here tells me you don't have a lot to go on." Angela looked up at Ed.

"Yeah. Isolated parts of the city, vics who means nothing to anybody, so…"

"Right." Angela nodded. "Well, uh, my partners and I had a look at the crime scenes."

"Things really must be slow at the Bureau." Ed laughed. "Look, sweetheart, locations have already been knocked down."

"Well, we did manage to find this piece of fabric." Angela held up an evidence bag, earning a surprised look from Ed. "Things get overlooked. It happens. Why don't you run the blood? It could be the vic. It could be the doors. Let's see if we get a match."

"A witness did mention seeing a man in a suit and a white shirt leaving the area, so—

Angela tilted her head slightly. "You didn't mention a witness in your report. Anything else?"

"No, sweetheart," Ed replied. "We'll get back to you on the lab work. So, if that's all—

"Sure, but this witness—

"That's all that was said, Agent Richards." Ed cut her off. "We really don't have a lot here, okay? We'll be in touch." He added before walking away.

Angela pursed her lips and walked off, clearly irritated.

~/~\~

Dean and Portia walked down a long flight of steps to the nightclub.

"Am I getting the stink eye in here or what?" Dean muttered.

"They can tell you're an outsider," Portia replied.

"Are they all witches?"

"And stuff." She shrugged. "But if there's information out here about James, they'll know."

"How did James find you, anyway?" Dean questioned curiously.

"Not the way it works." Portia chuckled. "The familiar finds the master, and they become inseparable."

"Guess a lot of people feel that way about their pets," Dean commented.

Portia turned sharply to look at Dean, anger clear in her eyes. Dean's brows furrowed in confusion.

"What?"

Portia scoffed. "I'm _not_ James's pet."

"Well, not all the time," Dean smirked.

Portia stepped toward Dean and pushed him in the chest. "Not ever. The master and the familiar—there's an unbreakable bond, like a melding of the souls. We would die for each other."

"Portia." A man called out, snapping his fingers. "Over here."

Portia and Dean walked over to the man who sat in a nearby chair.

"Dean, meet Phillippe LeChat. Dean's a Wiccan from Detroit." Portia introduced.

"Really? Well… Sit, sit." Phillippe smirked, pointing to a couch across from him.

Dean and Portia sat down next to each other.

"Spencer here?" Portia asked.

"Somewhere." Phillippe shrugged.

Dean sneezed and cleared his throat, not noticing the smile on Phillippe's face. Dean sniffled slightly.

"That's weird." He muttered. "That only happens around cats."

"Tell me about James," Phillippe smirked at Portia. "Lot of buzz out there."

"All gossip." She assured. "The community has a little attitude going."

Phillippe chuckled faintly. "He brings it on himself. The whole cop thing—witch cop—is he nuts?"

"I said the exact same thing," Dean replied, giving Portia a pointed look.

"Then there's you, babe. It isn't done, Portia, and you know it." Phillippe continued.

"I'm sorry," Dean started. "Uh, remind me, what—what isn't done?"

"Portia." Spencer greeted as he walked up. He looked Dean over curiously.

"Uh, I'm a—I'm a Wiccan," Dean commented. "I'm from Detroit."

"Spencer's the man to ask," Portia told Dean.

"Oh, okay. Uh… you ever heard of a—a spell where a witch can control the actions of another witch?" Dean asked before he sneezed again.

Spencer shook his head. "No, I never heard of a thing like that. I don't think it's possible." He replied before he looked at Portia with concern. "How's James?"

"Better. I'll tell him you asked."

Spencer nodded. "Phillippe, it's time we were going."

"Of course." He replied, turning to Portia. "Goodnight." He murmured. Phillippe then looked at Dean mockingly as his eyes changed to cat eyes and his face became more catlike. "So nice to meet you."

Dean nodded as Phillippe turned completely into a black cat, clearly surprising Dean. Phillippe climbed up on a table and Spencer held out his hand while Phillippe nuzzled it.

"I knew it," Dean muttered as Phillippe and Spencer left. His cell phone started to ring and he sniffled slightly. "Excuse me." He told Portia. "Yeah." He greeted.

 _"Where are you?"_ Angela's voice rang through.

"Some witch bar. Why?"

 _"Listen, I just got the lab work back from the blood on James's shirt."_ She replied.

"And?"

 _"Not good."_ She sighed. _"Blood's an exact match to victim number three."_

Dean pursed his lips, glancing at Portia. "Well, that pretty much says it all, doesn't it?"

 _"Yeah,"_ Angela replied.

~/~\~

Sam and Dean quietly broke in the front door and walked into James's house. Angela had opted to stay at the hotel with Grace. The brothers walked down the hallway that led to the bedroom as Dean pulled out the concoction from Bobby's witch-killing recipe. They slowly opened James's door and Dean walked inside first. James why lying on the bed with his eyes closed, but his eyes opened as Sam and Dean moved closer to the bed. Dean clicked his zippo and set the flame. He brought the flame closer to the cloth sticking out of the bottle just as Portia stepped out of the bathroom.

"No!" she screamed. "No, Dean! You have to listen to me, please. It's not James!"


	31. Man's Best Friend with Benefits Part 2

"Tonight, James and I were close," Portia started. "Without psychological walls—intimate."

"I don't—

"They had sex," Sam replied.

"Wow." Dean chuckled. "I, uh—I didn't expect that."

"We have an unusual relationship," Portia admitted. "Familiars aren't supposed to be sexually involved with their witches."

"Understandable, you know, considering that you're a…" Dean pursed his lips. "Well, and that he's… That's…" he chuckled, looking to Sam. "Little help here?"

Sam just shook his head.

"No?" Dean muttered.

"James and I—we hadn't made love in weeks." Portia continued. "His agony ate him up, and he shut me out. But tonight, I saw his thoughts—memories of the murders."

"I'm sorry," Dean frowned. "Is this you trying to talk us out of ganking James, or—

"Dean, that's all I saw—just the kills. No preparation, no thought process, no anticipation, no motive. Just the kills without context."

Sam's brows furrowed. "No other awareness of the crimes?"

"No," Portia replied. "Doesn't that at least suggest he's under another's control?"

"Spencer said that wasn't possible," Dean argued.

"He said he'd never heard of it." She corrected. "James is chained. He's confined. At least take a shot."

~/~\~

The next day Angela was walking into the police station dressed in her FBI apparel. She had her phone up to her ear.

"Sam, these guys are _so_ condescending." She complained. "You know, I could've stayed at the hotel with Grace…"

 _"You'll be in and out, baby,"_ Sam assured. _"Plus, I wanted to spend a little extra time with my baby girl."_

Angela rolled her eyes, not that Sam could see. "Fine. I'll let you know what I find out. Love you."

 _"Love you too, baby,"_ Sam replied before he hung up.

Angela pocketed her phone as she walked through the police station. She stopped in a hallway and looked to her right as a door opened nearby. Josh and Ed walked out, Josh holding a thick file in his hand. Angela walked down the hallway to the two men.

"Gentlemen." She greeted.

"Still investigating this crappy little case, sweetheart?" Ed raised his brows. "I'm awed the Bureau has so much time on its hands."

Angela pursed her lips. "Right. Well, we have some, uh, individual discretion to pursue cases."

As she spoke, Angela looked down at the file and saw the name _Frampton, James_ next to a case number typed on it.

"I'll catch up later, Ed," Josh said before walking off.

"Yeah, but at some point, cases like this go cold, as I'm sure you're aware." Ed looked down at Angela. "Just not enough to keep them floating—that's all."

"Sure." Angela nodded. "No new leads, then?"

"No." Ed shook his head. "And it's drifting towards the back burner, really. We just don't have the manpower."

"Then it must have been tough to lose a valuable resource like Lieutenant Frampton," Angela replied, earning a slightly shocked look from Ed. "See, he and I—we, uh—we caught a case together a while back."

"Well, he's not lost to me. He's—he's on leave."

"I remember he said he was the youngest guy here to ever make lieutenant," Angela recalled. "Must have made a few waves."

"Nah. This place is run like a dogsled—no stars. Just grunts." Ed replied. "One mutt goes lame, another one pops up and slogs through the slush. Agent."

Ed walked off, leaving Angela confused and suspicious. Once Ed rounded the corner, Angela turned and tried to open the door that Josh and Ed had walked out of. Angela's frown deepened when she noticed that the door was locked. Angela pulled out her phone and dialed Sam's number.

~/~\~

Dean and Portia, in the Impala, drove through a large garage that seemed to be abandoned. Dean shut the engine off and they both got out of the car.

"So, this, uh, warlock we're meeting—he's—he's a snitch?" Dean raised his brows.

"Cops have snitches all over town," Portia replied. "James uses Drexyl when he suspects someone in the community."

"I got to ask." Dean started. "I—I can't help but wonder—

"Which came first, dog or girl?" Portia quirked a brow.

"Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I'm just curious as to which one you consider yourself, mostly."

Portia pursed her lips. "This have anything to do with what I told you about James and me last night? How you're imagining it?"

"What? No, that's…" Dean chuckled. "Yes."

Before Portia could respond, a vehicle approached them and the driver cut the engine. He got out of the car and calmly walked over to Dean and Portia.

"Drexyl, this is Dean." Portia introduced.

"Wiccan, Detroit. I heard." Drexyl replied. "So, here's the deal—absolutely no word on the street about any witch-hexing another one."

"You sure there's not any kind of spell?" Dean frowned.

"Look, Detroit," Drexyl quipped. "I pride myself on reliable sourcing. There is, however, a lot of chatter about our James."

"What kind of chatter?" Portia questioned.

"That he's gone, ripper."

Dean raised his brows in surprise. "As in Jack the—

"Someone's circulating the rumor that he's set at full kill."

"Someone? One of us?" Portia frowned deeply.

"If the cops get wind of it, arrest James, find out what he really is, that exposes the rest of us," Drexyl replied. "You know that can't happen."

"Meaning?" Dean asked.

"They're gonna give James two choices—leave or the full hara-kiri."

"Suicide?" Dean questioned.

"Witches appreciate a grand gesture," Drexyl smirked.

"I won't let him do that," Portia replied firmly.

Drexyl shrugged. "Well, the community might do it for him." He replied before walking back to his car.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela walked into James's house and headed towards the living room. Angela had Grace in a baby carrier.

"Hey." The couple greeted.

"Hey," Dean replied from his spot on the couch. "So, I have been going over Bobby's data."

"Anything?" Angela asked as she and Sam sat down. She set the baby carrier in between her and Sam.

"Uh, Portia might not be wrong. Turns out there is a spell for, uh—for implanting images into another person's brain." Dean explained.

"Really?" Sam raised his brows.

"Yeah. Uh, 'Creating false memories into another witches mind.'"

"Wow," Sam muttered. "So, James could be convinced he killed those people without ever touching them. So, then, maybe it _is_ somebody else."

"Yeah, who's going to a hell of a lot of trouble to make it look like James." Dean sighed before looking at Angela. "What'd the cops say?"

"Here's the thing," Angela started. "Um, according to Ed Stoltz, they got zip, but they got something. I saw the tech guy who's working the case, and he had a huge file folder marked 'James Frampton.'"

"Ed didn't mention that." Dean frowned.

"No, he did not. Alright," Angela stood up. "Oh, by the way, Sammy told me what happened, and I got to hand it to you. It's been 15 hours since Portia mentioned her night with James and not one bestiality joke from you. I'm proud."

Dean just chuckled and shrugged slightly.

~/~\~

The three hunters walked into James's bedroom, Sam carrying the baby carrier this time.

"Portia tells me my friends in the community want me burned at the stake," James commented, still chained to the bed.

Dean sighed heavily. "I'm not gonna lie. It's, uh—it's getting ugly."

"Yeah, the cops may have more on the case than they're saying, including a thick dossier on you," Sam added.

"Me?" James asked incredulously.

"Yeah." Angela sighed. "I get the feeling whatever they have is under lock and key at the precinct, uh, room C-110."

"Then we need to break in," James replied.

"Sure, yeah," Dean commented sarcastically. "A locked room in a joint crawling with cops 24/7—why didn't I think of that?"

James rolled his eyes. "Dean, a witch can go to a place without having to go to a place."

Dean paused for a moment. "What, like phone sex?"

"Astral projection. I can project my awareness anywhere."

"Oh." Dean nodded.

"From the comfort of right here." James continued. "But these have got to go." He jingled the chains.

"Not gonna happen." Dean shook his head.

"Irons on, no magic. No magic, no break-in." James pursed his lips.

Dean sighed, turning to look at Sam and Angela.

"Okay," Sam nodded. "But only if we can go with you."

Dean and Sam sat on either side of James on the edge of his bed. Angela, holding Grace, and Portia stood in front of them.

"James, are you sure you're still even able to do this?" Portia asked concernedly.

"Oh, well, that's a confidence builder," Dean muttered sarcastically. "Anything else I should know before I become some disembodied thing, completely at his mercy?"

"Just close your eyes," James instructed, placing his hands on their shoulder. "Whatever I see, I'll pass on to you, too. Libera me occulta cognoscere vertitatem."

James took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Blurry images of the inside of the room Angela had tried to get into flashed through their minds. Once inside the room, they saw that a huge case was being built against James and that Ed was the one leading it. The vision ended suddenly, snapping the men back to reality. James, Dean, and Sam breathed heavily, and James jumped up and away from the brothers.

Angela rushed over to Sam, her brows furrowed in concern. "You okay, baby?"

"Mm-hmm." Sam hummed.

"James, why don't you give us a little warning you're gonna snap us back like that?" Dean snapped angrily.

"Stoltz—he's building a case against me," James muttered.

"What?!" Portia's eyes widened.

"Ed—he's always wanted a breakthrough case. Nailing a renegade cop—that would qualify."

"Yeah, especially one he holds a grudge against." Angela sighed as she strapped Grace back into her carrier.

"My first case—they dropped him as lead detective. They went with me." James explained.

"So, what is this, you think—a payback?" Sam asked.

"He can't just arrest you. He needs evidence. He needs proof." Portia replied.

"He's got it!" James yelled. "He's got everything."

"From who?" Portia's frown deepened.

"Phil. The cat." Dean answered.

"Phillippe." Portia breathed.

James breathed heavily and Sam started to stand up from the bed.

"Hey, hey, hey." Sam started. "Take it easy."

"James, hey." Dean frowned.

"Talk this out, James." Angela pleaded.

James grunted and threw a hand up, causing the three hunters to fly through the air. Dean hit the night table while Sam and Angela hit a nearby nightstand. Grace started to cry loudly from inside her carrier.

"James, don't!" Portia pleaded. "We'll do this together."

"No, we won't," he replied firmly. "It's not safe for you. Our time together is over."

"Standing by you is my duty, my choice!"

"Portia, the ceiling is coming down on me." He replied. "You still have a life."

"Please." She begged with tears in her eyes.

"Portia, go." He commanded.

"James—

"Go!" he roared, pushing Portia.

Portia started to sob and shook her head as she walked out of the room.

~/~\~

Sam and Dean tried to approach James and Spencer quietly. Angela had opted to stay with Grace, trying to comfort her after what happened at James's house. However, both Spencer and James heard footsteps approaching.

"The Wiccan from Detroit," Spencer smirked.

"So, James didn't kill those—

Spencer threw his arm up at Sam and Dean, and they both flew into the wall several feet behind them and then crashed down onto the tables below them. Spencer smiled and then turned to look back at James as he threw an energy beam at him, pushing Spencer back slightly.

"Seriously, you want to take me on?" Spencer quirked a brow.

Spencer sent his own energy beam straight into James and then lifted him off the ground using his power. Sam and Dean used the distraction to stand up and Dean got the bottle out of his coat that they originally prepared for James while Sam pulled out a lighter.

"Hurry." Sam urged.

While still holding James in the air, Spencer turned and put a hand up, sending a beam into Sam and Dean, causing them to freeze in place.

"It's not only James's head I can get inside." He smirked.

Spencer smiled evilly. However, Portia, in her dog form, ran up and pounced on Spencer, causing him to hit the ground and release his hold on everyone. Dean continued to get the flask with the witch killing potion inside of it ready.

"Ego voco impetus delere…" Sam chanted. "Vos caelum et infernum."

Sam lit the cloth in the bottle and Dean tossed it at Spencer, causing a swirl of smoke to engulf him as he turned into blood and ash. Portia, now in her human form, was on the ground, trying to sit up as James stumbled over to her.

"Well, kids, don't try this at home," Dean muttered.

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, Angela, Portia, and James stood outside of the Winchesters' hotel room next to their cars. Sam held Grace, who was sleeping peacefully.

"You sure you don't want to stay and fight this?" Dean proposed.

"Look, we can help you," Angela assured.

"Ed, Spencer was right. Ed Stoltz has built enough of a case against me to make life hell for a long time, and the community here wants no part of us."

"We start over." Portia nodded. "We're used to it. It's the way it's always been, for all of us." She added before looking at Sam and Angela. "I'll miss you." She noted before looking at Dean. "Maybe even you."

"I like dogs." Dean shrugged.

"No," Portia smirked. "You really don't."

Portia got into the passenger seat of James's car while he got into the driver's seat, driving off into the night.

~/~\~

Sam had his arm around Angela, who was fast asleep, as Dean drove down the dark road. Grace was in her car seat, still sleeping peacefully.

"Well, it's possible I was wrong," Dean commented.

"What, about James?" Sam asked. "Dude, we were all ready to gank the guy."

"No, that's not what I meant." Dean sighed. "Back there, when Spencer had us. He screwed with my head. I saw mom… When she died… And then some other crap."

"Yeah. Me, too." Sam muttered.

"You know, when I look back at what our family's been through, what everybody's been through, seeing all that pain… I realize that the only way we've made it through it all is by hanging together." Dean explained. "I trust you, Sammy. With this deal, locking those sons of bitches up in the furnace once and for all, it's too important not to. So, if you say you're good… then that's it. I'm with you 100-percent."

Sam coughed slightly. "I'm good." He assured before he started coughing again, more violently this time. Sam wiped the corner of his mouth, frowning when he noticed blood come back on his hand. Sam looked around, slightly worried.


	32. Remember the Titans Part 1

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Sam turned away from the sink, drinking a glass of water. His brows furrowed as he slurped the water, then swished it around in his mouth. He spat bloody water into the glass and held it up to the light. Sam looked around the room, horrified, and went back to the sink, spitting out more blood. He looked at his tired reflection in the mirror before he dumped the water into the sink and turned on the tap to flush it down the drain. Angela walked into the room carrying Grace.

Angela's brows furrowed when she noticed Sam scrubbing the sink. "What's up with you, baby?"

Sam turned around, obviously startled by his wife's sudden appearance. "Nothing." He lied. "Why?"

Angela narrowed her eyes slightly, clearly not believing Sam. "I think daddy's lying, Grace." Angela cooed at her daughter as she bounced her slightly.

"Have either of you heard from Kevin?" Dean asked as he walked into the room in his robe.

"Uh, no. Nothing yet." Sam sighed.

"What's it been, like, three weeks? What's taking that little brainiac so long?" Dean questioned as he sat down. "It's a book. Read it."

"Just a guess, but translating an ancient language with zero help might be more difficult than we think." Sam retorted.

"So, no word from Cas, Kevin's taking his sweet little time, and you're acting cagey," Dean muttered. "We need a lead before I start climbing these walls." He added as he sipped his coffee.

"Well, um…" Sam picked up a paper from the table. "In that case, I can give you zombies." He suggested, tossing the paper to Dean. "Guy gets hit by a car, left for dead overnight, guts spilled out all over the road, then he gets up and walks away from it."

"Nothing about brain munching?" Dean raised his brows.

"Remember Bobby's wife?" Angela recalled. "She didn't… munch on any brains."

"Well, who's the witness?" Dean sighed.

"Montana state trooper, 20-year vet," Sam answered. "Checked his pulse, saw his insides spilled out all over the place, pronounced him dead with a capital 'D.'"

"Alright," Angela sighed. "I'll call Jody. We're gonna need a babysitter."

~/~\~

A little over two hours later, Angela walked down the stairs with Jody next to her.

"This place is…" Jody trailed off as she looked around.

"Intimidating?" Angela supplied.

"A little bit, yeah." Jody chuckled. "Hey, boys." She greeted, a large smile on her face. "And there she is! My new baby niece." She cooed at Grace, who was being held by Sam.

"Seriously, thanks so much for driving all this way, Jody," Sam noted sincerely.

Jody gently took Grace from his arms and held her. "No problem! It's about time I get to meet the munchkin."

Angela fished a piece of paper out of her pocket. "Here's a list of everything you need to know. And don't go wandering around—you'll get lost. And, uh, there are plenty of guest rooms, so take your pick. And if you need anything, just call."

"You are such a mother hen." Jody smiled. "I'll call if I need anything. Now go save lives."

"Okay." Angela sighed softly, reluctant to leave. She took Grace from Jody and gently kissed the top of her head. "I'll see you soon, baby girl."

"Be good for Aunt Jody." Sam cooed at his daughter, kissing her nose.

Grace just gurgled slightly in response before Dean took her from Angela.

"Bye, munchkin." He smiled at his niece. "We'll be home soon."

After long, reluctant goodbyes, the three hunters finally piled into the Impala and drove off. Angela picked at her nails nervously—her daughter was only three weeks old, and she didn't want to miss a moment with her. She felt Sam's hand on her leg and looked up at him.

"She'll be okay." He assured, as if reading her mind. "She'll be more than okay."

~/~\~

_Great Falls, Montana_

"Since when have the Feds started tracking zombie activity?" the police officer asked.

"We don't track zombie activity because there's no such things as zombies," Angela replied.

"Uh-huh."

"Why don't you just tell us what you saw?" Dean asked.

"Article said it all—dead as dog poop, guts pecked up, face frozen." The officer explained. "People don't walk away from that. _Zombies_ do."

"And you don't think something could have dragged him away?" Angela quirked a brow.

"One set of footprints, no drag marks." The officer shrugged.

"You didn't go after him?" Dean frowned.

The police officer chuckled. "That's grizzly country. You couldn't pay me enough to hike those woods, not without a bazooka."

"Uh, Jack? I got something." The assistant called over. "Came across a wire from Livingston."

"John Doe—presumably mauled by a grizzly." Jack read. "Holy crap, that's him."

"That's the dead guy?" Dean asked.

"Dead my ass," Jack muttered. "That's a zombie."

"Uh, you know what, trooper? Why don't you stay here?" Sam suggested. "We'll take care of this one. We need someone to hold down the fort."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, and if things go all _'Dawn of the Dead'_ on us, you'll be our first call." Dean nodded.

"Agents… Aim for the head." Jack suggested.

~/~\~

_Livingston, Montana_

"No I.D. on this guy?" Angela questioned.

"Fingerprints came up blank, too." The coroner sighed.

Sam pulled down the sheet exposing the right side where there was a large bloody gash. "What's going on down here?"

"Liver was eaten. Best guess is a bird got at it."

"Hmm." Dean hummed.

~/~\~

"I got to say," Dean started as they walked down the hallway. "I am a little disappointed."

"Yeah, 'cause you wanted to shoot zombies." Sam chuckled.

"Damn straight I wanted to shoot some zombies," Dean muttered. "Look, this is about as open-and-shut as it gets, alright? Guy gets Mack-trucked, goes down for a nap, wakes up, takes a detour into mama bear's den—end of story."

"Then why would he run?" Angela asked. "That trooper could have helped him."

"I don't know." Dean shrugged. "Shady past?"

"Dean, don't guys with a shady past usually have a fingerprint on file?" Sam retorted.

"Whatever it was, the guy's dead now, alright?" Dean sighed. "Remember what Bobby said, hmm? 'Woodchipper beats everything'? Yeah, well, so does grizzly bear."

The three hunters turned towards the window and looked into the coroner's office. The three of them frowned when they noticed that the metal table was empty and took off running.

~/~\~

The door to the coroner's office was wrenched open. The revived man, draped in a sheet, was shoved through the door by Dean, Sam, and Angela on his heels. Dean held a gun to the man's neck.

"You better start talking. What are you?" Dean demanded as he slammed the man face-first onto the metal table. "If you say, 'zombie,' I swear—

"What?!" the man asked incredulously. "No, I'm not anything!"

"Look, two minutes ago, you were room temperature. You're something." Dean snapped.

"Look, I don't know what I am, okay? I don't know who I am." The man replied. "All I know is all I do is die, so if you want to shoot me, shoot me. Just promise me you finish the job, 'cause I can't take this anymore."

"Alright. Get up, get up, get up. Stand up!" Dean commanded, reengaging the safety on the gun as he hauled the man up.

"All you do is die? What's that supposed to mean?" Angela asked curiously.

"Once a day, for as long as I can remember. After a few hours, I'm back." The man explained.

Dean's brows furrowed. "What are you, like a real-life Kenny?"

"Who?" the man frowned. "No, my name is Shane."

"Alright, well, listen, Shane," Dean sighed. "We're not gonna find out what the hell you are in here, so you're gonna come with us, okay? We're gonna run a few tests, make sure everything's kosher."

"Tests?"

~/~\~

Shane, now dressed, sat on one of the motel beds. He grimaced in pain as Dean cut his arm.

"Seriously? This is FBI-sanctioned?" he questioned as Dean put a bandana over the wound.

"Drink," Sam instructed, handing him a flask.

Shane gave the opening a sniff, then took a drink and handed the flask back to Sam.

"Alright, so, uh, how long has this dying thing been going on?" Dean asked.

"As long as I can remember," Shane shrugged. "But my memory only goes back a few years."

"Wait," Angela frowned. "Now you have amnesia? How do you know your name?"

"My real name isn't Shane. It was given to me because… I don't know, people had to call me something."

"Okay. So, then, what happened to you?" Sam asked.

"Got pulled off a mountain in Europe. They said that I got caught in an avalanche." He explained. "I don't remember anything from before the rescue. When I realized my condition, I knew I couldn't be around other people, so I build a little cabin, learned to hunt, kept to myself. Seemed easiest that way. Then a couple pot growers grew nervous with me being so near their crop. Shot me—twice. I figured it was time to move on."

"Right into the grille of that pickup." Dean nodded.

"You think maybe I could clean up?" Shane asked.

"Yeah, man. Knock yourself out." Dean replied. "Well, he's definitely something." He muttered as Shane walked into the bathroom.

"Yeah, but maybe he's not the monster." Sam put the flask into the inner pocket of his suit jacket. "Maybe he's the victim?"

"You thinking curse?" Angela asked.

"Could be looking for a witch, yeah." Sam nodded. "You know what? He's parked here. He's safe. Maybe we should just get another room until we can figure this out."

"Alright," Dean sighed. "But you're the one going full-cavity for the hex bag."

~/~\~

Shane was on the motel bed, fast asleep. Suddenly, a woman dressed in all leather stalked towards the bed. As she moved closer, she sat down on the bed and started running her fingers through Shane's hair. He jerked awake and grabbed her wrist. She just looked lovingly at him.

"Who are you?" Shane questioned.

"You don't remember." She frowned. "Never mind."

The woman raised a blade, ready to stab Shane. He threw the woman onto the sink, but she quickly hopped off and attacked him again, slashing her blade at him. The door opened and Dean walked into the room, raising his knife and attacking the woman. The woman managed to dodge Dean and whipped kicked his legs out from underneath him. Sam and Angela stood in the doorway, and the woman used her power to fling them back outside. Shane grabbed the woman's arm and flipped her, gaining the upper hand.

"Aah!" she yelled as Shane shoved her against the wall.

"Who are you?" he demanded as Dean got up and the couple walked back into the room.

"Now I'm your worst enemy." The woman replied, grabbing the weapon above the hilt.

The woman and the weapon disappeared with a bit of wind that ruffled Shane's hair.

"Who the hell was that?" Dean frowned.

"She—she said that she knew me," Shane replied.

"Yeah, how?" Angela asked as she closed the door.

"I don't know, but, uh, I could have sworn that she was upset I didn't know her back."

"This is, uh—this is a lot more than a curse, man," Dean noted. "You've got, like, some tiger blood. Where did you learn that kung fu?" he asked as Shane fell to the ground, gasping.

Sam's brows furrowed in concern. "Hey, buddy, you okay?"

"Yeah." Shane panted. "Yeah, I just need a minute. I've never been in a fight my whole life." He explained, jerking suddenly, almost as if he couldn't breathe.

"Whoa, hey, hey, pal," Dean frowned. "Hey. Are you—Hey, whoa. Is he having a heart attack?"

"Do we call 911?" Angela asked, confused.

"And tell them what?" Dean retorted. "That the dead guy we stole from the morgue is alive and having a coronary?"

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela sat next to each other on one of the motel beds. Shane, dead, was laid out on the second one.

"I feel like I'm sitting Shiva," Dean commented.

"Well, that's not—never mind." Sam shook his head. "Um… we need to think. What do we know of that has Jason Bourne fighting skills, dies a lot, and has a history with violent women?"

Dean thought for a moment. "I don't know—you?"

Sam gave his brother his signature 'bitch face' and Angela just snorted slightly. Sam turned and gave her the same look.

"I'm sorry," Angela apologized, stifling her giggles. "Baby, I'm sorry, seriously."

Suddenly, a knock could be heard at the door. The three hunters got up and Dean peeked out the window, spotting a woman with medium-length, light brown hair standing on the stoop. He turned the safety of his gun off and opened the door a bit.

"May I help you?"

The woman stood there with an arm wrapped around a child with blond hair.

"Agent Bonham?" the woman asked.

"And you are?" Dean raised his brows.

"This is gonna sound really strange," the woman started. "But I'm looking for a corpse that went missing today. The coroner said that you were the last one to see it. I'm Hayley."

"Uh, this is Agent Jones and Agent Carter." Dean nodded his head towards Sam and Angela, who were now standing behind him.

"Why are you looking for our John Doe?" Angela questioned.

"Well, his name is Shane. At least, that's what I called him." Hayley replied. "I'm the mother of his son." She added, looking down at the boy.

"Hey," Dean bent down a little towards the child. "Why don't you, uh, slap me some skin, huh?"

"He's shy," Hayley commented as her son turned into her side. "It's okay, Oliver."

Hayley frowned when she noticed the corpse on the bed over Dean's shoulder. Dean frowned and looked over his shoulder.

"Oh, you weren't supposed to see—

"It's okay." She pushed past Dean into the room. "Stay with the nice FBI agents, Oliver."

"Hey." Dean walked outside to stand by Oliver.

~/~\~

Oliver was slowly swinging. Hayley, Angela, Sam, and Dean sat at a picnic table in front of the motel.

"When I was younger, I had friends that wanted to climb this mountain in Europe, and I thought it sounded exciting, so… I joined them," Hayley explained.

"The avalanche?" Sam asked.

Hayley's eyes widened slightly. "He—he told you? What else did he say?"

"Just that he doesn't remember how he got there," Angela replied.

Hayley sighed. "My friends were gone, and when I found him, his clothes were torn off, his eyes were frozen solid, but he was still alive. I just knew there was something off about him, the way that… he would—

"Die every day?" Dean raised his brows.

"Yeah." She sighed softly. "I thought it was from exposure or shock. Maybe he was unconscious. We were both in bad shape. And I know I couldn't have made it down the mountain if it weren't for him. And when we got to the bottom, we, um… realized that it had become something else, and we spent the night together, and while we were, you know…" she explained. "He had a heart attack."

"Awkward," Dean muttered.

"So, I called 911, and they couldn't save him." She continued. "And I had to go down to I.D. the body…"

"He popped up again. Alive." Sam finished.

"I freaked out. And I ran." Hayley replied. "And nine months later, I had Oliver. I hired a private investigator. I really tried to find him, but when they gave up, I gave up. Until a couple of months ago."

"Now, what made you look again?" Angela questioned.

"The worst thing."

~/~\~

The motel room door opened and Shane walked out. Hayley, Angela, Sam, and Dean turned to see him standing outside the door.

"Hayley?" he asked, clearly surprised to see her.

"Hello, Shane." She stood up, walking over to him while gesturing to Oliver. "Oliver, come here, honey. I thought it was time you two meet. This is Oliver."

~/~\~

Dean leaned against the porch rail, holding a mug. He watched Shane push Oliver on the swing with Hayley standing close to Oliver's other side. Dean drank from the mug as Sam and Angela walked out of the room.

"Did you find anything?" Dean asked.

"Well, uh… Looks like we were right about that curse thing." Angela sighed. "From what we can tell, we're looking at a Titan."

"A Titan?" Dean's brows furrowed. "What is that—like, a God?"

"More like a proto-God, like the Gods before Gods," Sam explained. "They ruled over Greece before Zeus and the rest of the Olympian Gods overthrew them."

"Okay, so who is this guy?"

"Best Sammy and I can tell?" Angela sighed. "Prometheus."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"Well, didn't he—he steal fire or something?"

"Yep. He, uh, _'Ocean's Eleven'd'_ Mount Olympus and stole the flames of Olympia." Sam explained.

"For what, kicks?" Dean scoffed.

"For us, actually." Angela corrected. "Zeus decided to revoke humanity's ability to make fire so we couldn't cook, couldn't stay warm, couldn't see in the dark."

"Sounds like a monster's paradise," Dean muttered. "And this guy made it right for us?"

"Yeah. And in return, Zeus decided to strap him to that mountain and make him relive death every day." Sam replied.

"Damn. Every day for how long? No wonder the guy's hard drive is deep-fried." Dean sighed. "Did you figure out who, uh, Xena-wannabe was?"

"I'm guessing Artemis, Zeus's daughter," Sam replied. "She's been known to carry around weapons like that dagger. They're nasty. They'll kill immortals dead."

"Alright." Dean sighed. "Well, we've never battled a God curse before. Hope we can break it."

~/~\~

Shane, Angela, Dean, and Sam were seated at the table in the motel room.

"This is an eagle chowing down on your intestines," Dean noted, turning the laptop around to show Shane the article. "You don't remember that?"

"No," Shane muttered.

"Okay, look, I hate to break it to you, but you _are_ Prometheus," Angela replied gently.

"Well, then, the best thing for me is to get as far away from them as I can," Shane replied.

"Wait," Dean frowned. "I'm sorry. You just discovered that you have a seven-year-old son, and you want to walk away?"

"And I'm a God. And this God and his daughter are hunting me." Shane retorted. "What chance do I have?"

"Okay." Sam slammed the laptop shut. "We're gonna help you, but we need a plan first, and we can't come up with one here."

"Where are we going?"

"Someplace safe," Dean assured.

"I'll call Jody, let her know we're coming back for a bit." Angela sighed.

Suddenly, Hayley walked into the room carrying Oliver, who had a bloody gash on his forehead,

"What's wrong?" Dean asked concernedly.

"He fell," Hayley replied, laying Oliver down on the bed.

"Do I need to call an ambulance?" Dean asked.

"No. Don't."

"He's dying, isn't he?" Shane asked quietly.

"I was going to tell you, I just wanted you to have a chance to adjust," Hayley explained.

"Wait a second—he has your curse?" Angela asked, wide-eyed.

"What curse?" Hayley's brows furrowed.


	33. Remember the Titans Part 2

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Dean burst into his bedroom in the bunker, Shane on his heels carrying Oliver. Hayley, Sam, and Angela were right behind them.

"Just put him right here." Dean patted the bed. "This curse was put on you. Why the kid?"

"I don't know," Shane replied honestly.

"You keep saying 'curse'. What curse?" Hayley questioned.

"How long has this been happening?" Angela asked Hayley.

"Oh, well, I—since he turned seven a few months ago." She replied. "It started with the dying, and then he stopped talking."

"Wait, seven?" Sam's brows shot up. "Age seven marks one of the first Greek rites of manhood."

"So, what? Are you saying the curse is hardwired into his programming?" Dean's brows furrowed. "How do you know that?"

"Look at me," Hayley turned to Shane. "I'm sorry that I ran out on you all those years ago. I didn't understand what was going on. But we have a child, and whatever you have, he has. I need to know how to stop it. What curse?"

~/~\~

Shane, Hayley, Sam, and Angela were seated at the tables while Dean leaned against another one of the tables. Jody was currently attempting to put Grace down for a nap.

"Okay, so Ollie's dad is a Greek God who has been cursed to die every day by Zeus." Hayley recapped. "And you guys are… _Ghostbusters._ Am I getting this right?"

"Well, you know, due to the fact that your son is currently, albeit temporarily, dead, I'm gonna let that one slide," Dean muttered.

"You have to realize this sounds crazy." Hayley defended.

"It's true. I didn't believe it myself at first, but it's the only thing that makes sense." Shane replied.

"Look, the faster you wrap your head around this, the faster we can solve the problem," Dean added.

"Solve the problem?" Hayley raised her brows. "I-I'm just not even sure I understand the problem."

"Alright," Dean sighed. "So, the way we usually handle this is we summon the bastard and we work him over until he undoes whatever it is he did."

"Summon Zeus," Hayley repeated.

"Yes." Dean nodded.

"And if he doesn't want to undo it?"

"Then we take him out," Angela replied.

"And hopefully, the curse dies along with him," Dean added.

"This can't be happening." Hayley shook her head as Oliver started coughing from the bedroom. "This I can handle." She muttered as she turned and left.

"Listen, you can run and hide and die for all eternity." Dean looked at Shane. "It's your choice. But Sam, Angie, and I are gonna go after Zeus… with or without you."

"I'm in," Shane replied confidently.

~/~\~

"Here we go," Dean said, catching everyone's attention.

"What you got?" Sam asked.

"Dragon penis," Dean replied.

"What?" Sam frowned.

Angela's brows furrowed. "Excuse me?"

"Ancient Greek hunter by the name of Drakopoolos," Dean replied. "Near as I can tell, he was a badass whose name, incidentally, is Greek—

"No, no, no. I got that." Sam interrupted as Dean handed him the book. "Thanks, Ace."

"Hey." Dean greeted as Hayley walked into the library. "How's the, uh… is the kid?"

"He's fine." She replied. "Oh, please, keep going."

"Right, so, uh, Drakopoolos tangled with Zeus back in the day, and the Men of Letters translated his journal." Dean continued.

"The Men of Letters?" Shane asked curiously.

"It's a secret society. This is actually their lair. We're legacies." Dean smirked, but neither Shane or Hayley looked impressed. "No big deal."

"Okay," Angela cut in. "So, it says here he summoned Zeus into a trap and found out how to kill him."

"What's that?"

"Wood from a tree struck by lightning," Dean replied.

"Right." Sam nodded. "So, it says we need two things for the summon—frozen energy from the hand of Zeus, and the bone of a worshipper."

"Frozen energy—you thinking fulgurite?" Dean suggested.

"Well, it makes sense." Angela shrugged.

"Alright." Dean nodded. "You and Sammy get on the web, see if there's any Greeks nearby that are still worshipping the Old Gods."

"On it," Angela assured.

"W-what about the wood? Is that easy to find?" Shane asked.

"With a little bit of luck." Dean nodded.

"Oh," Hayley interjected. "Wait—t-this journal just ends."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"I mean, how do we know if Drako-whatever survived? How do we know Zeus didn't get to him?"

"We don't know," Sam admitted.

"How do we know this is going to work?" Hayley questioned.

"We never know for sure, but these books—they're, uh, they're pretty good," Dean answered.

Hayley looked at the three hunters skeptically. "So, we're hanging our lives on the writings of a dead man who… is named after genitalia."

"It's a loose translation," Dean muttered.

"Experts." Hayley scoffed slightly.

"Alright. Listen to this," Sam started. "Greek pagans two towns over. Best part? They have an obit page with cemeteries."

"Alright. You three are on grave duty." Dean instructed. "We'll handle the B&E."

"We'll be in touch," Angela replied as she, Sam, and Shane got up to leave.

"Hey." Dean tossed the Impala keys to Angela, who caught it easily.

"B&E? You mean, breaking and entering? What for?" Hayley asked.

"Well, the book calls for fulgurite. It's a little hard to come by." Dean explained. "The last time we needed it, we, uh, stole it from a one-percenter."

"You do know that fulgurite is available in crystal shops all over, right?"

Dean frowned. "Really?"

"Yeah." Hayley nodded. "The new age people, they use it to make cheap jewelry."

"Hmm." Dean hummed, closing the laptop.

~/~\~

Sam, Shane, and Angela were digging up one of the graves in the cemetery.

"Why are you guys doing this?" Shane asked, breaking the silence.

"We need a bone, so we dig." Sam shrugged.

"No, I mean for us," Shane clarified. "This isn't your problem. You're risking your lives."

"Why'd you risk yours to steal that fire?" Angela retorted.

"Good question," Shane replied. "Wish I could remember."

"Trust us on this—it was worth it," Sam assured. "You pretty much, uh, saved the whole world."

"Yeah, I guess. But none of that—none of that means anything unless I can save my son." Shane replied.

Angela and Sam looked at each other, completely understanding the way Shane was feeling.

"I get it—we both do." Angela murmured. "We'd do anything to save our daughter… absolutely anything."

~/~\~

Dean was driving Hayley's minivan down a dark road. Oliver was strapped in place in the back seat while Hayley sat in the passenger seat looking worried.

"Listen," Dean sighed. "I know this all seems a little haphazard, alright? But trust me when I say that me, Angie, and Sammy have gone in with a lot less and come out on top."

"I believe you," Hayley replied softly. "It's just all this. And I'm about to ask Zeus, the Greek God, to help cure my son."

"The thing you got to remember is this is not about asking for his help, okay?" Dean reminded. "He's not your friend. It's about getting him to do what's right."

~/~\~

Dean set down a copper bowl on the floor, then struck a match. He stood up, tossing the match into the bowl, causing flames to shoot up and then die quickly. The bowl was strategically placed just outside of a huge devil's trap that had been drawn on the floor.

"Stay calm," Dean instructed.

Everyone looked around as the lights flickered and thunder rolled. Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck the bowl, thunder crashed, and another larger lightning bolt flashed and transformed into a man. Electricity flashed up his arm. He was an older gentleman with a gray beard, light brown mustache, and salt-and-pepper colored hair.

"Oh, come now." He smirked. "Can't we do this civilized?"

"Well, it depends on you. All we need is to break a curse you put on a little kid." Dean replied, causing Zeus to look at Oliver. "So, how about you say, 'yes,' and we all go home?"

"Nice to see you again, Prometheus," Zeus commented, ignoring Dean. "All cleaned up. I've been looking for you."

"It's gone too far, Zeus. Break the curse." Shane replied firmly.

"It's your child who has the affliction." His smirk grew as he spoke. "Interesting."

"So, what's it gonna be?" Dean asked. "The easy way or we could do this the hard way."

"Break the trap, dear man, and I'll break the curse." Zeus proposed.

"No dice." Dean shook his head. "Fix the kid."

"Going once…" Zeus trailed off.

"Don't be that guy."

"Going twice…"

Dean shrugged. "Hey, you can rot here for all I care."

"Yes, and the child will continue to suffer."

Dean pursed his lips. "Let's roll." He instructed, turning and walking away.

Sam, Angela, and Shane followed Dean. Hayley stood still with her arms wrapped tightly around Oliver. Zeus looked over at Hayley.

"He needs me, and you know it."

Hayley kept staring at Zeus, then looked over at Shane, Dean, Angela, and Sam walking away. "No!" she yelled, running to the devil's trap. She broke the line with her boot, freeing Zeus.

"Hayley, no!" Dean yelled.

"Now save my son." Hayley pleaded.

"What do you say?" Zeus sauntered out of the devil's trap. Lightning bolts shot out at Shane and the three hunters, knocking them all back. "Shall we try this the hard way?" he laughed maliciously.

~/~\~

"Bring forth the child," Zeus told Hayley. "Please."

Dean got up, the stake clutched tightly in his hand. Sam and Angela gave him a nod. Dean, Sam, Angela, and Shane stalked up behind Zeus. But suddenly, the three hunters were tossed back into a cement wall. Artemis had her hand up, holding them in place with her power.

"Balls," Dean muttered.

"I trust you've met my daughter," Zeus commented.

"Hayley, don't do it." Dean pleaded.

"This is the son of Prometheus. And he's cursed to suffer death every day." Zeus explained. "I must admit, I could never have conceived such a horrible fate for such a beautiful child. Just goes to show, we must all leave room for happy accidents."

"What does that mean?" Hayley's brows furrowed. "I don't understand."

"Tell me, has Prometheus experienced the child's death yet?" Zeus asked, earning a nod from Hayley. "How did he take it? Did he hurt?" he asked, earning another nod. "Good," Zeus smirked, pointing his fingers at Shane, who fell to his knees, attempting to breathe. "Imagine a thousand children all dying in unison. Only then would you understand my pain. But we can't always have what we want, so… one will have to do."

"No." Hayley cried, shaking her head.

Zeus clenched a fist and Hayley grabbed her throat as she choked. Artemis looked marginally upset.

"I have a special job for you, my little friend." Zeus knelt down in front of Oliver. "Artemis."

Artemis walked to where the three hunters were still held against the cement wall. "Move." She commanded, freeing them.

~/~\~

Artemis escorted Sam, Angela, and Dean down the dark corridor.

"So, you know who this is, walking us to our deaths?" Sam asked.

"Don't know. Don't care." Dean replied flatly.

"It's our God, Artemis—the Goddess of Hunters." Sam continued.

"Oh, that's fascinating," Dean muttered sarcastically.

"See, she's who we'd pray to for courage when hunting the Gorgon or the Minotaur," Sam explained. "Of course, she's not really worship worthy anymore, uh, having lost a step and all."

Artemis waved her hand and the three hunters were slammed face-first into the wall and held there.

"The hell I have." She growled.

"Really, babe?" Angela scoffed. "Trash-talking a God? Seriously?"

"Still at full power?" Sam taunted Artemis. "Really? Then why did it take you seven years to track down Prometheus."

"He was hiding." She defended.

"Hiding from you? So, the God of Hunters couldn't find a shack in Montana?" Sam mocked. "Maybe it's that you didn't want to find him."

"Good, Sam, you're doing great," Dean commented sarcastically.

"Your dad's gonna kill that kid, you know?" Sam reminded, ignoring Dean.

"Don't worry. He'll come back." Artemis stroked Sam's cheek with her blade. "Unlike you."

"He was in love with you, you know. He told us." Sam replied.

Artemis removed her blade, looking uncertain. "You lie."

"Okay, sure, yeah. Believe whatever you want." Sam shrugged.

"What did he say to you?" Artemis demanded.

"This wasn't his first time he escaped that mountain, and that you let him go free as long as you could hide your little tryst from the old man," Sam explained.

"The hell he said. His brain is mush."

"Oh, yeah? Then how did I know? What, have you spilled it to anyone? Homer? Hesiod? Herodotus?" Sam raised his brows. "Of course not. You were afraid big daddy would find out that you fell for the person he hates most in this world. Of course, when he saw the zombie article, it kind of forced your hand, and you had to come hunt him down no matter how much it hurt. You know what? Go ahead. Kill us. And let your father slaughter that boy. Over and over again. That won't leave a mark."

~/~\~

Artemis walked into the main room, her bow and arrow at the ready. "This has to stop, father."

"Stop?" Zeus frowned. "I'm only just getting started."

"You've done enough," Artemis replied.

"I am doing this for us—for our kind. He is the reason we're here and not ruling the world." He gestured to Shane, who was lying on the ground. "He's the reason they have forgotten all about us."

"Let them go. All of them."

"I am your father," Zeus reminded. "And you will obey me."

"You were once my father. Now you're someone else." She retorted, firing the arrow.

Zeus grabbed Shane, using him as a shield. The arrow hit Shane right in the middle of his torso.

"I never get tired of watching you die." Zeus chuckled, holding Shane up. "Your boy is going on the mountain."

Shane grabbed hold of the arrow's shaft and forced it through the back of his body so that Zeus was impaled as well. Lightning flashed surrounding both Zeus and Shane. They both fell to the ground, dead. Artemis set her bow down on the floor, then ran over to the bodies. She knelt down next to Shane and pulled the arrow out before tossing it aside. Suddenly, there was a whooshing sown, and both Artemis and Zeus were gone.

~/~\~

Dean flicked his lighter open and placed the flame against the wood. Fire encased the body on the pyre that was wrapped in a sheet. Dean walked back to Hayley, and they both stood there watching the body burn.

"I'm sorry." Her voice cracked.

Dean just silently wrapped an arm around her, attempting to give her some sort of comfort.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela stood some distance away. Oliver sat at the back of the minivan. The couple looked at each other, then walked over and sat on either side of Oliver.

"You know what? How about we go get some ice-cream sundaes?" Sam suggested. "They always cheer Angie up when she's upset."

"It's true." Angela gave Oliver a soft smile.

"No." Oliver shook his head. "I'd like to stay."

~/~\~

"Well, here's to that crazy wild card called love," Dean commented as he drove. "How did you know Artemis had the hots for Prometheus, anyway?"

"Intuition." Sam shrugged. "Uh… luck."

"Yeah, well, whatever it was, it worked… pretty much." Dean sighed. "At least the kid's alright."

"You know…" Sam trailed off. "I'm starting to think maybe I was being naïve."

"What are you talking about, babe?" Angela asked.

"When I said that I could just will myself into coming out of these trials unscathed," Sam explained.

"No, no, no. Stop with the sullen emo crap, alright?" Dean retorted. "That's—you're not gonna die like Prometheus."

"How do you know?" Sam argued. "Bobby, Rufus, now Prometheus—you think any of them chose death? No. The life chose for them."

"You're not dying," Angela replied firmly.

"Angie—

"No. You're not gonna die, okay?" Angela cut him off. "You're not gonna die because our three-week-old daughter needs you in her life. She _needs_ her dad. So, you're not dying."

"Angie's right." Dean agreed. "You promised, okay? You promised to live a long, Clark Griswold life full of prostate exams and colonoscopies, alright? You're not welching on that deal, not on my watch. If you die, it's gonna be because of something normal."

"Like a heart attack?" Sam asked.

"Exactly." Dean nodded. "Eat your burger."

~/~\~

The three hunters walked into the bunker. Jody walked up to them, a small smile on her face.

"Hey," she greeted. "I just put Grace to bed."

"Thanks, Jody," Angela replied sincerely as she set down her bag. "You're a godsend."

"Nonsense." Jody chuckled. "I'm happy to babysit my favorite niece. She's an angel."

Angela hugged Jody tightly. "You can stay the night if you want, that way you don't have to drive so late at night."

"As tempting as the offer is, I need to get back to Sioux Falls before tomorrow." Jody sighed. "If you need anything, and I mean anything, just call."

"Same goes for you, Jody." Sam smiled. "Thanks, again."

~/~\~

Dean slammed his bedroom door shut and tossed his jacket to the side. He sat down on his bed and look upwards, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Cas, you got your ears on?" he asked aloud. "Listen, you know I am not one for praying, 'cause in my book it's… it's the same as begging. But this is about Sam, so I need you to hear me. We are going into this deal blind… and I don't know what's ahead or what it's gonna bring for Sam. Now, he's covering pretty good, but Angie and I know that he is hurting, and this one was supposed to be on me. So, for all that we've been through, I'm asking you… you keep a lookout for my little brother, okay?" he prayed earnestly. He looked around his room beseechingly. "Where the hell are you, man?"


	34. Goodbye Stranger Part 1

Dean pulled out a small rectangular box from one of the larger boxes. "What the hell is this? Spear of Destiny? What is this—God's toothpick?"

Sam and Angela sat in the control room, not really paying attention to what Dean was saying. Sam was typing away on his laptop while Angela was breastfeeding Grace.

"You know, would it have killed these asshats to label these boxes in something other than hieroglyphics? It's ridiculous." Dean continued as he picked up another small box. "Hey. Are either of you listening to me?"

"I'm kind of busy feeding my daughter." Angela retorted.

"It's, uh…" Sam cleared his throat. "Fascinating stuff. You should probably, uh, write it all down in your journal for the archives, you know?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Yeah, thanks. You guys are a lot of help." He retorted as Sam started to cough violently. "Hey, Doc Holiday, you alright over there?"

"Uh, yeah." Sam coughed into a napkin. He pulled away, quickly noticing the blood on it. "Um… I'm fine." He threw the napkin away before Angela could see it. "Just, uh, wrong pipe." He lied, taking a drink from his glass.

Dean pulled out a folder that contained an old magazine titled _'Voluptuous Asian Lovelies.'_ He chuckled at the picture of the Asian woman on the cover holding a paper parasol.

"Well, hello." He muttered as he flipped through the dirty magazine. "These Men of Letters weren't so boring after all. Konnichiwa." He smirked. "Hey, check this out," Dean called out as he walked into the control room, holding the magazine for the couple to see.

"Dude, what is wrong with you?" Sam scoffed.

"What's wrong with me? You kidding me?" Dean scoffed. "This is a first edition, dude. You know what this would go for on eBay?"

"No." Angela wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Why? Do you?"

"No. Maybe. Shut up." Dean muttered as he sat down. "You find anything?"

"I did, yeah—uh, dead bodies showing up all over the Midwest last week," Sam replied. "Benton, Indiana; Downers Grove, Illinois; uh, Novi, Michigan; and then again last night in Lincoln Springs, Missouri."

"And how is this us?" Dean questioned.

"Because each of the victims had severe burns around their eyes, hands, and feet, puncture wounds through the backs of their hands, eyes and internal organs liquefied," Sam explained.

"This is a pleasant conversation to have in front of our one-month-old daughter," Angela commented sarcastically as she finished breastfeeding. "Anyway, that does sound like us."

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "Also, no link between any of the victims. Uh, one was a real estate agent. Another was a local historian. Woman killed last night was a teacher."

"So, Chupacabra," Dean replied, earning a chuckle from Sam. "What do we got? Power tools gone rogue? Wait—are we talking a-a _'Maximum Overdrive'_ situation here?"

"I don't know." Sam sighed. "Worth a shot, though. We should probably leave in five."

"Mm-hmm." Dean hummed, still focused on the magazine.

"'Less, of course, you need some more time with Miss October." Sam chuckled.

"What?" Dean looked at his brother. "Oh. Yeah. Yeah, make it 10."

Sam chuckled while Angela just rolled her eyes. The couple got up and left, walking side-by-side. Dean set down the magazine and saw the waste bucket, noticing the bloody napkin.

~/~\~

_Lincoln Springs, Missouri_

Sam, Dean, and Angela stood in the living room of Mr. Morton's house dressed in their FBI apparel. Angela held Grace on her hip as Sam spoke to Mr. Morton.

"We just have a few routine follow-up questions about your wife, sir," Sam said. "Did she have any enemies?"

"Ann? Honestly, I can't think of a single soul who'd want to hurt her, even after everything that happened." Mr. Morton explained.

"Everything that happened?" Angela's brows furrowed.

"About a week ago, something changed in Ann." Mr. Morton replied. "She was out of sorts, not herself at all."

Sam frowned. "Out of sorts how?"

"It'd be better if I show you."

~/~\~

"She stopped sleeping," Mr. Morton started as they walked downstairs into the basement. "She stopped eating. She went out in the middle of the night, going God knows where. I tried to talk to her, but, uh… she would just mutter to herself."

"About what?" Sam asked.

"Something… about an orchard?" Mr. Morton shrugged. "Finally, I just followed her one night, and she went to the playground. Over here—the elementary school." He pointed to a section of the replica. "And she started digging. She would leave with these little bags full of dirt. Hung them here. All the bags represent holes that she dug into the ground."

"Were these holes, uh—I don't know—six-feet deep?" Dean questioned.

"No." Mr. Morton shook his head. "She dug for hours. She never broke a sweat. Straight down, ten, maybe fifteen feet."

"Did you notice anything else?" Angela asked.

"I didn't say anything to the cops 'cause I didn't want them to think I was crazy." Mr. Morton sighed. "After Ann came home, I came down to confront her, and she was on the phone."

"Any idea who she was talking to?" Dean questioned.

"No." Mr. Morton shook his head. "But I know what I saw. And it wasn't my Annie. After I called her out, her eyes… they turned black. Now, I-I know I must have imagined it. I know I did. But I-I left. I went to the bar, probably had too much to drink, and by the time I came back…" he sighed. "My Annie was, uh… I should have stayed. I should have protected her. I'm moving into my sister's place today. I can't be here anymore."

"Sure." Sam nodded in understanding. "Well, um, thank you very much for your time. We're very sorry for your loss."

~/~\~

"So, somebody's killing demons," Dean noted as they walked down the porch to the sidewalk. "Well, that is awesome. I feel like we should send a card or flowers. What kind of flower says 'thanks for killing demons'?"

"Yeah, but who's killing demons? And why?" Angela frowned. "And, by the way, since when does a demon possess someone, then go all _'Beautiful Mind'_ and—and start digging in the dirt? Does any of this seem right to you?"

"I like the part about killing demons. That sounds right." Dean shrugged.

~/~\~

"Sure. Of course." Sam was talking on the phone as the Impala came to a stop. "Well, thank you very much for your help. I really appreciate the time." He added as the three hunters got out of the car. "Alright. Bye."

Angela adjusted Grace on her hip slightly. "What'd they say?"

"So, real-estate guy's wife said he was acting weird," Sam replied. "Uh, historian's hubby said the same—just got all obsessive and then weird. No one saw any black eyes, but still, where there's smoke, you know…" he sighed as they walked up to a nice house. "I wonder what they're looking for."

"Well, Wendy Rice here was the last person to speak with Ann, so let's see if she can tell us," Dean muttered.

Sam knocked on the door and a woman with her hair covered with large blue and purple curlers opened the door.

"Special Agent Lynne." Sam greeted. "These are my partners, Special Agents Tandy and Edwards. We'd like to ask you a few questions about Ann Morton."

"Oh." Wendy chuckled self-consciously. "Uh, uh, uh, of course. Please come in. I had never met her before she called the other night."

"Now, why was she calling you?" Angela asked as Grace cooed softly.

"She was looking to find an original map of the city," Wendy answered.

"Did she say what for?" Sam questioned.

"Well, she—she didn't, but she did mention an—an old orchard that had gone missing."

Dean's brows furrowed in confusion. "Missing?"

"This—this town was wiped from the Earth by one of the river's 100-year floods. It was—it was rebuilt. But all the original records were—were lost." She explained. "I'm—I'm a Ph.D. candidate. And this—this is my research. I, uh… My dissertation is—is on the history of this town and, uh, its connection to the Underground Railroad and—and—and whatnot." She eagerly hopped up and brought over a bright pink binder. "I've been working to re-create a map for years as part of my research, and this—this is the old Jakubiak orchard there. I found out yesterday it's where Downey meets Bond Street."

"Now, did Ann say why she was looking for the site of an old orchard?" Angela asked.

"No." Wendy shook her head. "We—we set a time to meet, and she never showed. Then I read about her in the paper. It's just tragic. Ann's assistant called this morning, though, asking if I still had the map."

"Assistant?" Sam raised his brows as several knocks could be heard on the front door.

"Oh. That's probably him. Maybe he can help." Wendy got up to answer the door, the three hunters following behind. "Oh. Are—are you…" she opened the door to find three men standing there, their eyes going black.

Wendy screamed and the three demons barged in. Wendy and Angela were flung into the living room, and Wendy smashed into the coffee table. One of the demons grabbed the map, then ran out the door. Dean pulled out the demon knife, but just before he could stab the demon, black smoke erupted from the man's mouth and flew into Wendy, possessing her. Suddenly, Castiel came up behind the demon who was fighting Sam and smote him. Castiel tossed the body aside and held Wendy by her curlers.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela sat next to each other on the couch. Angela held Grace and was making sure that she didn't get injured.

"Put this on your shoulder." Dean tossed a cold pack at Sam.

Sam threw the cold pack on the floor and cleared his throat. Dean sat next to Sam on the couch as Castiel walked into the room.

"I'm fine," Sam muttered.

"The other demon escaped," Castiel started. "I bound the one I caught in a devil's trap. I'm gonna interrogate it now."

"Wait a second," Sam stopped him. "How about you answer some questions first? Like, where the hell have you been?"

"I have to agree with Sam…" Angela sighed. "I mean, what's with the radio silence, Cas? Not to mention, you missed the birth of your niece."

"I apologize," Castiel replied as he walked over and gently pressed two fingers to Grace's forehead. "She hasn't sustained any injuries." He assured.

"You heard me, didn't you?" Dean cut in.

Sam's brows furrowed. "You prayed to him?"

"Yes, I heard you. But that's not why I'm here." Castiel replied as he sat down on a nearby chair. "I've been hunting demons."

"So this is you. Why?" Angela asked, confused.

"I've been searching for the other half of the Demon Tablet." The angel answered.

"Without us?" Dean asked incredulously.

"I've been trying to help, Dean. And in my search, I uncovered that Crowley has sent out demons to find Lucifer's crypts."

Dean's brows shot up in surprise. "Lucifer had crypts?"

"Dozens of them, apparently." Castiel sighed.

"But why the storage wars?" Sam questioned. "I mean, what the hell are they all looking for?"

"They're looking for a parchment that would allow them to decipher Crowley's half of the Demon Tablet without a Prophet." Castiel lied.

"A demonic decoder ring? In Crowley's hands? Awesome." Dean scoffed.

"The crypts were, uh, lost over time. Only those closest to Lucifer knew their whereabouts."

"Then how did Crowley find them?" Angela asked.

"His demons have been possessing locals who may have some special knowledge," Castiel explained.

"That would explain the crazy room at Ann's house." Sam nodded. "But how did they know where to start looking in the first place?"

"I don't know." Castiel shook his head. "I'm hoping the strange-haired demon in the kitchen is more knowledgeable than the others I interrogated." He added as he got up and walked into the kitchen through the swinging door.

"Well," Dean muttered. "He puts the 'ass' in 'Cas,' huh?"

"He's definitely off." Angela agreed.

"Off?" Dean raised his brows. "He hasn't been right since he got back from Purgatory. We still don't know how he got out of there."

"I don't know, Dean. If he's so sketchy, then why were you praying to him?" Sam retorted.

"You know," Castiel's called from the kitchen. "I can hear you. I am a celestial being."

~/~\~

"Sam and Dean Winchester." The demon possessing Wendy smirked. "Oh, the thoughts she had about you two. Mostly you, Sam. What can I say? She has a thing for smutton chops."

Angela rolled her eyes and handed Grace to Sam. "Alright, you douchebag, listen—

Castiel stabbed the angel blade through the back of one of Wendy's hands, causing her to scream and whimper.

"Who told you about the crypts?" Castiel questioned.

"I thought angels were supposed to be the good cops." Wendy scoffed, causing Castiel to impale her other hand. "Wait!" she screamed. "Stop! Stop! We have a hostage! It's one of Crowley's pets. She's at the Murray Hotel, down by the interstate. She knows the towns where all the crypts are buried. She saw them all back in the day."

"And she told you about the parchment?" Sam asked, adjusting Grace in his arms.

Wendy's brows furrowed. "What parchment?!"

"Hey. Hey!" Dean snapped. "Think he's the only bad cop in this room? Stop lying! We know what you're really looking for."

"No. I am telling you, we're looking for—ah!" Wendy screamed as Castiel plunged the blade through her chest, killing her.

"Cas!" Sam exclaimed, wide-eyed. "What the hell was that?!"

"It told us what we needed," Castiel replied flatly.

"No, she didn't!" Angela retorted. "You can't just—

"I started this hunt without you because I didn't want anything to slow me down." Castiel cut her off. "We have to get to the motel now."

"Hold on a second—

Before Sam could finish what he was saying, there was a rustling of angel wings, and Castiel was gone.

"Cas!" the three hunters exclaimed in unison.

"Cas? Cas? Dammit." Dean groaned. "Go. Go. Go."

~/~\~

The Impala sped down the street and screeched to a half. The three hunters jumped out of the car and looked up as a bright flash of light came from a third-floor window. Angela unbuckled Grace from her car seat and picked her up.

"There. There." Sam said.

The three hunters raced for the hotel, still looking up towards the window.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela ran through the hallway, stopping outside a closed door. There was another flash of light. They burst into the room as a demon with burned-out eyes toppled onto the body of another dead demon. Castiel just stood there.

"Thanks for waiting," Angela commented sarcastically.

"The hostage is in there." Castiel nodded towards a closed door.

Dean walked over and opened the door, revealing Meg. She was tied up, bloodied, bruised, and she now had long, blonde hair.

"Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper?" she smirked.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela sat across from Meg, who was now seated on the bed. Castiel stood nearby with his arms across his chest.

"So, I got to ask. Um… What's up with the hair?" Dean asked, earning a look from both Sam and Angela. "What?"

"Aww. Thanks for noticing, Dean." Meg replied sarcastically. "But this wasn't my idea. It was Crowley's. And it's just another reason I want to stab him in the face."

"Wait a second," Angela frowned as she adjusted Grace on her lap. "You've been telling Crowley the location of Lucifer's crypts."

"What can I say? I needed a break from the constant torture." Meg retorted. "And I did visit them all during my time with Yellow Eyes. But don't worry. I haven't exactly been giving them the Glengarry leads."

"You mean you've been lying to them?" Castiel clarified.

"I just get them in the ballpark. Enough time's passed and enough's changed that they bought it."

"Why lie?" Dean's brows furrowed.

"Buy myself some time, dummy." She replied obviously. "Try to find a way to get free."

"Wait—so… A bunch of innocent people died so you could… buy yourself some time?" Sam asked.

"Hi. I'm Meg. I'm a demon." She retorted.

"So, what have they found?" Castiel asked.

"Bupkis. Every crypt's been one Al Capone's vault after another." She answered. "And on top of that, someone kept picking up the trail and icing demons. I'm guessing that was you, Castiel. But Crowley just keeps sending more. He's hell-bent on finding that Angela Tablet."

Sam's brows shot up. "Wait a second. Did you just say, 'Angel Tablet'?"

"You know, I get why Crowley calls you 'moose' now," Meg replied. "Yes—'Angel Tablet.' Crowley found out Lucifer had it, figures it's stashed in a crypt."

"Well, this is news to me, as well." Castiel lied. "Demons I interrogated, they must have been lying about their true intentions."

"Really?" Dean raised his brows. "'Cause I saw you _'Zero Dark Thirty'_ that demon. You were more than persuasive."

"You're missing the point," Meg interjected. "I lied to them, which means they're digging in the wrong place. But not for long. They'll be back here soon. So, who's up for fleeing?"

"She's right." Angela sighed. "We need to find those crypts before they do. Meg, you're the only one who's been there."

"We need your help." Castiel agreed.

"Any of you dummies got a map?" Meg chuckled.

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, Angela, Meg, and Castiel were clustered around the miniature village in the Mortons' basement.

"There." Meg pointed. "That's where the crypt was."

"What's there now?" Angela asked.

"Do I look like Google to you?" Meg sassed. "None of these buildings were here way back in the day. Figure it out, genius. Is there any booze in this dump?" she added as she walked away.

~/~\~

Sam was seated at the table, working on the laptop. Dean and Angela stood next to him, Dean holding Grace this time. The one-month-old cooed at her uncle.

"He lied to us," Dean commented.

"Yeah, maybe. I can kind of understand why. I mean, Angel Tablet?" Sam chuckled. "If the Demon Tablet can shut the Gates of Hell, what can the Angel Tablet do?" he sighed. "Here goes. Alright. According to this, the crypt has to be below an abandoned building."

"Good times." Angela nodded. "You really think we can trust, uh, Megstiel?"

"No," Sam replied. "But what choice do we have?"

~/~\~

The three hunters walked back up to the main room where Castiel and Meg were talking.

"Alright. Let's roll, campers." Dean instructed.


	35. Goodbye Stranger Part 2

"So, this is it," Meg commented. "Basement?"

"Alright, Cas, Angie, and I will head in and get our Indiana Jones on. Sam, you stay outside with Meg." Dean instructed.

Sam's brows furrowed. "What?"

"We got this," Dean assured.

"What are you talking about, Dean?" Sam scoffed. "I'm not letting you and Angie go in there without backup."

"They'll have backup," Castiel assured.

"That's not what I mean." Sam rolled his eyes. "Meg can hang here, watch our backs."

"Oh, what? Now you trust Meg?" Dean raised his brows.

"Hey, I got you this far." She defended.

"Shut up, Meg." Sam and Dean replied simultaneously.

"Dean—

"Sam, I saw your bloody rag in the trash can, okay?" Dean cut him off.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Angela interjected, adjusting Grace in her arms. "Neither of you wanted to clue me in on this?"

Sam sighed. "That wasn't—

"Stop." Dean shook his head. "Just stop. Sam, we don't know what's in there, okay? And you almost let a demon get the best of you back there."

"I'm fine," Sam assured.

"No, you're not fine." Dean retorted. "You haven't been fine since the first trial. That's why I called Cas."

"Trial?" Meg quirked a brow.

"Shut up, Meg." Sam, Dean, and Angela replied.

"Guys, I'm telling you—I'm okay," Sam assured.

"No, you're not." Castiel cut in. "Sam… you're damaged in ways even I can't heal. Dean's right. You should stay here and protect Meg."

"Since when do I need protecting?" Meg scoffed.

"Since you were held captive and tortured for over a year." Castiel retorted.

"Touché." Meg agreed.

"Alright, we'll be back." Angela sighed as she handed Grace over to Sam. "You and I are having a serious talk later." She added as Dean handed Sam the demon knife.

~/~\~

Dean, Angela, and Castiel walked through the abandoned warehouse with their flashlights on.

"Hey, Cas, what did you mean back there about Sam?" Angela asked.

"It's difficult to say." He replied. "It's something on the subatomic level and his electromagnetic field—

"Okay, bottom-line it for us, Bill Nye." Dean interrupted. "Is it lethal?"

"I don't know. Wait." Castiel frowned as he stopped and felt the cement wall. "There's a draft. There's something behind there. Stand back."

Dean and Angela backed up against the opposite wall. Castiel, a hand against the wall, used his grace to break the cement.

~/~\~

"Wait—so I took how many bullets for you guys, and you didn't even look for me?" Meg asked as she spray-painted a symbol on the ground. "Like, once?" she scoffed. "My hero. What's with all the 'trial' and 'being damaged' crap?"

"Look, no disrespect," Sam started as he adjusted Grace in his arm. "But you haven't exactly been the most, uh, trustworthy person in our lives, Meg."

"You're not gonna tell me? Seriously? How am I not team Sam?" she argued. "Fine. Whatever it is, you okay dying over it? You okay leaving your newborn daughter over it?" she raised her brows, still getting no response. "You don't want to say, fine. But remember, I spent time in that walking corpse of yours. I know your sad, little thoughts and feelings."

"That's creepy," Sam replied flatly.

"Here's what I remember," Meg continued. "Deep down, in parts you never let see the light of day, you want to live a long, normal life away from creepy old things like me."

"I do," Sam admitted, looking down at his daughter who was smiling up at him. "You know, Angie and I spent some time together in Texas, and… now I know that's actually possible."

"Wait—that's how you two spent your time? In Texas? Lame."

Sam rolled his eyes. "You know, how about we just wait quietly?"

"Hm. Angie actually got you off hunting, huh?" Meg continued. "She's one rare creature—like a unicorn."

~/~\~

Castiel, Angela, and Dean were in a dusty, dirty crypt with a vaulted ceiling. Castiel watched as the two hunters shined their flashlights around the room.

"Dean… Angela…" Castiel pointed towards an item on a shelf against the wall. "That's it."

"How do you know?" Angela asked.

"It's the only thing in here warded against angels." He answered as Dean and Angela lifted the object and placed it on a nearby table.

Dean picked up a small dagger and pried open the lid. He reached in and lifted out a rather large block of stone. "Winner, winner, chicken dinner."

"Good. Hand it to me, and I'll take it to Heaven." Castiel instructed.

Dean frowned. "No, we will take it to Kevin so he can translate."

"Right. Of course." Castiel nodded. "I'll take it to him right away. No time to waste."

"Well, he's not that far." Angela shrugged. "We've been meaning to… go check on him, bring him some supplies."

"I can resupply the Prophet, Angela," Castiel assured.

"You know, why don't, uh, Sam, Angie, and I take it over it him," Dean suggested. "And you can get back to your mission? Finding the other half of the Demon Tablet—that is priority, isn't it?"

"I can't let you take that, Dean," Castiel replied.

"Can't or won't?" Angela retorted.

"Both."

Dean narrowed his eyes. "How did you get out of Purgatory, Cas?" he questioned. "Just tell us how you got out of Purgatory. Be honest with us—for the first time since you've been back… and this is yours."

Dean and Angela waited for Castiel to say something, but his blade just dropped into his hand, causing the two hunters to frown.

~/~\~

"Wait—h-hold on," Meg frowned. "There's one part I don't understand. You hit a dog and stopped. Why?"

"That whole story, and _that's_ your takeaway?"

"Oh, I heard the rest. It was beautiful, then sad, then sadder. I laughed, I cried, I puked in my mouth a little." She replied. "And honestly, I kind of get it."

"Really?" Sam asked skeptically.

Meg's frown deepened and she looked around. "We've got company."

~/~\~

"Cas. Cas, I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, but if you're in there and you can hear me, you don't have to do this." Dean assured.

Castiel attacked the hunters, but Dean blocked the blow with the stone.

"Cas!" Dean yelled.

"Cas, fight this! This is not you!" Angela pleaded as Castiel struck again.

Castiel stiffened suddenly. "What have you done to me, Naomi?!"

Angela and Dean looked at each other in confusion.

"Who's Naomi?!" Angela asked Castiel.

~/~\~

Sam and Meg turned towards two demons who were charging at them carrying clubs. Sam held his daughter protectively and managed to wrangle the club from one of the demon's hands.

~/~\~

"Cas!" Dean pleaded, putting a hand on Castiel's shoulder.

Castiel backhanded Dean, causing him to be thrown into a wall. Angela attempted to walk towards Castiel, but he flung her into a wall as well.

~/~\~

Sam used his free hand to kill one of the demons with the demon knife. Grace started to wail loudly. Sam watched Meg kill the second demon as he tried to soothe his daughter.

~/~\~

Dean attempted to throw a punch at Castiel, but the angel grabbed his forearm and twisted it. Dean yelled in pain as the bone snapped and he dropped the stone, causing it to shatter, revealing the tablet. Lighting flashed throughout the crypt.

~/~\~

Meg pulled the blade out of the body of the dead demon. Grace continued to cry loudly as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled.

"Shh, it's okay, baby girl," Sam whispered, bouncing her in his arms.

"I believe they're playing my song," Crowley said suddenly, catching Sam and Meg's attention.

~/~\~

Dean groaned and clutched his now broken arm. Angela scrambled towards the tablet, but Castiel grabbed her by her jacket and started to beat her until her face was bruised and bloodied.

"Cas, stop!" Dean pleaded.

"You want it?" Angela glared up at Castiel. "Take it! But you're gonna have to kill me first. Come on, you coward. Do it. Do it!"

Castiel clenched his jaw and continued beating Angela, who started to cry out in pain. Dean attempted to crawl over to her, groaning as pain shot through his arm.

"Cas… this isn't you. This isn't you." Dean pressed.

"Ah!" Angela screamed as Castiel kept beating her, one of her eyes swollen shut. "Cas. Cas." She weakly reached out to him. "I know you're in there." She whispered as he raised his angel blade. "I know you can hear me. Cas… It's me. We're family. We need you."

"Cas," Dean pleaded. "Let her go, Cas."

Castiel dropped the angel blade with a clang. Angela groaned and panted in pain. Dean made his way over to her, smoothing her hair back with his good hand.

"You should've run, kid." He chastised.

"And leave you here alone?" she asked weakly. "No way."

Castiel reached down for the angel tablet, and as he picked it up the Enochian writing began to glow. The light flowed up his arm, surrounding the entire room. Soon, the light diminished and Castiel stood over the hunters, holding the tablet.

"Cas?" Angela breathed out. "Cas?"

Castiel reached his hand out towards Angela, who flinched away slightly.

"Don't touch her." Dean glared up at the angel.

Castiel placed his hand on the side of Angela's head, healing her. He turned to Dean and did the same, healing him completely.

"I'm so sorry." Castiel apologized sincerely.

"What the hell just happened?" Angela questioned.

~/~\~

"Love what you've done with the place." Crowley looked around. "You really think all that was gonna keep me out forever?"

"At least long enough for Dean, Angie, and Cas to get the tablet and get out." Sam glared as Grace started to calm down.

"Castiel. So, that's who's been poking my boys—and not in the sexy way." Crowley muttered. "Got a bone to pick with you, Moose. After what you did to my poor dog."

"You gonna talk us to death or get down to it already?" Meg asked impatiently.

"There's my whore," Crowley smirked. "I'm not here for my dearly departed, though. I'm here for the stone with the funny scribbles on it."

"That's not gonna happen," Sam replied.

"Love it when you get all tough. Touches me right where my bathing suit goes." Crowley replied as he pulled out an angel blade.

"Go," Meg told Sam. "Save Dean and Angie… and my unicorn."

Sam paused for just a moment before he opened the warehouse door.

~/~\~

"So, this 'Naomi' has been controlling you since she got you out of Purgatory?" Dean asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, w-what broke the connection?" Angela asked curiously.

"I don't know." Castiel sighed. "I just know that I have to protect this tablet now."

"From Naomi?" Dean raised his brows.

"Yes." Castiel nodded. "And from you."

"From us?" Angela frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Suddenly, Castiel and the tablet were suddenly gone.

"Cas?" Dean called out. "Cas! Dammit."

"Dean! Angie!" Sam came barreling into the crypt, holding Grace protectively. "Where's Cas?"

"He's gone." Angela sighed. "Meg?"

"We got to go— _now,"_ Sam stressed.

~/~\~

The three hunters quickly piled into the Impala while Crowley was distracted with Meg. Angela quickly buckled Grace into her car seat. Sam, Dean, and Angela looked back as Crowley stabbed Meg, killing her. The tires squealed as the Impala pulled away.

~/~\~

"So… what happened?" Sam asked as Dean drove. "I mean, Cas touched the tablet, and it reset him to his factory settings or something?"

"I don't know." Angela sighed. "And I don't care. All we know is that he is off the reservation with a heavenly WMD. Listen, baby, I can't take any more lies—from anyone."

"Yeah. Um… I know. I'm sorry." Sam replied sincerely. "I should have told you—both of you. I—I… just wanted to believe I was okay. I don't know."

"Well, you heard what Cas said—that, that first trial hurt you in ways that even he can't heal." Dean reminded.

"Sammy," Angela looked up at him with pleading eyes. "We need you to be honest with us from here on out, okay?"

"You're right. And I will be." Sam promised.

"Listen, we may not be able to carry the burden that comes along with these trials… but we can carry you," Dean replied.

Sam squinted slightly. "You… realize you kind of just quoted _'Lord of the Rings,'_ right?"

"Come on, man." Dean rolled his eyes. "But it's the Rudy Hobbit, alright? Rudy Hobbit always gets a pass."

Sam and Angela chuckled. Sam wrapped his arm around Angela and pulled her flush against him. She looked up at him and pressed a sweet kiss to his jaw.

"Shut up," Dean grumbled, turning on the radio.

Sam just stared as _'Goodbye Stranger'_ played throughout the Impala. Angela cuddled closer to Sam and he rested his chin against the top of her head, closing his eyes.

* * *


	36. Freaks and Geeks Part 1

_Conway Springs, Kansas_

The Impala pulled into the police station parking lot, pulling into one of the nearby parking spaces.

"So, what are we looking at again?" Angela asked.

Dean reached into the back seat and grabbed a newspaper that had been lying next to Grace's car seat. Dean handed the newspaper over to Angela.

"Two young women found near the freeway with their throats ripped out." Angela and Sam read simultaneously.

"Sounds vampy to me." Dean sighed.

"Yeah, maybe." Sam agreed.

"Listen, if you want to take a knee on this one if you're not feeling up to it…" Dean suggested.

Sam's brows furrowed. "What?"

"You know, the trials, what Cas said that you got what he can't cure," Dean replied.

"Hmm, which means what, exactly?" Sam raised his brows.

"Well, I don't know." Dean shrugged. "You tell us. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Are you guys okay?"

"Us?" Angela's brows furrowed.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "Um, Cas dinged you both up pretty good."

"And?" Dean asked, confused.

"And I just wanted to make sure you guys are okay."

"What, like our _feelings?"_ Dean scoffed.

"If that's what you want to talk about, sure." Sam nodded.

"Okay." Dean pursed his lips. "I'll tell you what. Why don't I go get some, uh, herbal tea."

"Okay." Sam rolled his eyes.

"And you can find some cowboy junkies on the dial." Dean continued.

"Eat me, Dean." Sam retorted as he got out of the Impala.

Angela just shook her head and chuckled, following Sam's lead. She opened the back seat door and unbuckled Grace.

"Good talk," Dean said sarcastically as he got out of the Impala. "Nay, _great_ talk! Very healthy!"

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela flashed their FBI badges to the Sheriff. Angela adjusted Grace in her arms a bit.

"FBI? You're here about the Lady Killer Murders, aren't you?"

"The Lady Killer Murders?" Angela raised her brow.

"Yeah, coined it myself." The Sheriff replied proudly.

"Congratulations. What can you tell us?" Dean asked.

"Well, both victims were female, under 21, and here's the kicker—they were drained of all their blood."

"Huh," Sam replied.

"Exactly." The Sheriff nodded. "We found that strange, also. But then last night, things got even stranger."

"Last night?" Angela asked curiously.

"Yeah." The Sheriff turned the computer monitor on the desk to show the three hunters a surveillance video. "We set up a security cam on Fuller's Point for safety purposes. It's where our local young people like to go make out. Last night, things got crazy."

The Sheriff pressed play on the video and the three hunters watched the footage of Krissy, Aiden, and Josephine. Dean frowned deeply when he recognized Krissy.

"Hell of a thing, ain't it?" the Sheriff asked.

"Uh, you I.D. any of these people?" Angela asked.

"Well, not yet. Crime scene was empty when we got there. No vic, no nothing." He answered. "Uh, I'm thinking it's some kind of cult or a drug thing. So, I put a statewide A.P.B. out on these three about an hour ago."

"I'm gonna need you to call that off," Dean commanded. "And we're gonna need this footage."

"What?" the Sheriff frowned.

"Sheriff, why do you think we're here? You just crossed streams with a federal investigation." Dean replied harshly. "Now, I suggest you cooperate, call off your A.P.B., or you're gonna find yourself in a world of hurt."

"Uh… right." The Sheriff complied, obviously confused.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked out of the station and towards the Impala.

"So, what was that all about, G-man?" Sam questioned.

"Either of you remember Krissy Chambers?" Dean retorted.

"Uh, yeah, the Vetalas case, right?" Angela replied. "They were working that truck stop by the freeway. She and her dad helped us shut 'em down."

"Right," Dean nodded. "And then he promised to go civilian, so she wouldn't grow up to be a hunter. Well, guess who the star of this snuff film is?"

"Come on." Sam groaned. "Well, maybe he doesn't know she's doing this."

"What, sneaking out in the middle of the night to go hunt monsters with the Apple Dumpling gang?" Dean scoffed. "Is that what kids are doing for kicks these days?"

"Okay," Angela sighed. "Then maybe he knows, and he's helping her out."

Dean raised his brows. "What, get caught on _'Candid Camera'?_ Let's just go find her before she gets into any more trouble."

~/~\~

Sam managed to pick the lock to Krissy's hotel room and the three hunters walked inside. Suddenly, there were the sounds of a gun cocking behind them.

"Hey, Krissy." Dean greeted, turning around to face her.

"What are you three doing here?" she demanded.

"Saving your bacon, that's what."

"Does it look like my bacon needs saving?" she raised a brow. "Wait. How'd you find me? I paid cash everywhere."

"Only two hotels within a 20-mile radius, and we paid cash, too—just more." Dean retorted.

Krissy rolled her eyes. "Freaking clerk."

"Krissy, where's your dad?" Angela asked gently as she adjusted Grace in her arms.

"Dead." She replied. "Well, let's do this again, like, _never._ Now go. We got this."

"We who?" Sam questioned.

"And got what?" Dean added.

Krissy walked back over to the laptop. "A vampire."

Dean's brows shot up. "Sorry. A what?"

The three hunters walked over to watch the live video with Krissy.

" _We're in. The room's clear. Nobody in here but a vic."_ Josephine's voice rang through.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela burst into the room where the woman was being held against her will. The vampire turned and saw the three hunters before he jumped out of a nearby window. Dean walked over to the window and looked outside. The vampire ran across the street towards a blue van.

"I got him!" Krissy yelled.

Dean frowned. "You…" he stepped away from the window to chase Krissy. "Son of a bitch."

"We need to call an ambulance!" Angela stressed.

"Ambulance is on its way," Josephine replied. "She's in shock. I'll stabilize her. We'll leave her here for the paramedics."

~/~\~

Dean burst out of a side door of the hotel and ran down the street where Krissy held a tranquilizer gun up as she chased the vampire.

"Please! Don't shoot me!" he begged.

Krissy shot the vampire in the leg next to his knee and he fell to the ground.

"Don't shoot me!" he pleaded. "Please, don't—Please… it hurts so bad!"

"How did you drop him so quickly?" Dean's brows furrowed.

"Dart's filled with dead man's blood," Krissy explained.

"Where's the blue van?" Dean looked around.

"What blue van?"

"The blue van that he was bolting to?" he raised his brows. "Never mind."

Dean took out a knife from his side holster to kill the vampire, but Krissy stopped him.

"Wait, stop!" she exclaimed. "This is not your kill."

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked, confused.

"Three months ago, this blood banger snuck into a house and killed three people in their sleep," Josephine explained as she walked up.

"What?!" the vampire exclaimed. "No! I didn't do that!"

"One was a woman—never hurt anyone!" Josephine continued. "The other two, a brother and a sister."

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"I came home from a friend's house, and I found them. They were my family!" Josephine yelled.

"This isn't happening." The vampire shook his head. "I didn't do anything. I swear. Please, help me!"

Josephine ignored his please and sliced his head off with her machete. Dean looked around, hoping that there were no witnesses around. Angela immediately covered Grace's eyes, and Sam just looked angry.

~/~\~

Krissy walked up behind Josephine to comfort her. "It's okay. It's over."

"We need to talk to you privately," Dean told Krissy firmly.

"You know this guy?" Aiden asked, brows furrowed.

"Yeah." She sighed. "We have a past."

Dean and Krissy walked a few feet away. Dean folded his arms across his chest.

"Alright," he started. "So, you're gonna have to catch me up. What—did your dad, uh—he couldn't quit the life, could he?"

"No, he did. For a while, it was amazing." Krissy replied. "We had dinner every night at a table. We watched TV, went on walks. Even went to the mall."

"And then?" Dean asked.

"And then… the past came a-knockin'. I woke up one morning and found him dead… his throat ripped out." She explained.

Dean sighed heavily. "Well, I'm sorry."

"Me too. If it weren't for Josephine and Aiden, I don't know how I would have made it."

"So, they both lost their families, as well?" Dean's brows furrowed.

"Yeah," Krissy nodded. "The same vamps we're hunting together—a nest."

"Well, look, I am sorry to rain on your parade, but you are way too young to be doing this."

"You're _never_ too young to kill monsters, especially the ones that kill your family," Krissy argued.

"Hunting isn't all about killing and revenge." Dean reminded. "I thought we had this chat last time. Do you have any, uh—do you have any family that's still out there?"

"An aunt in Cincinnati." She shrugged. "Why?"

"'Cause you're packing a bag, and we're taking you there."

"I think Victor's gonna have a problem with that." She retorted.

"Victor?" Dean raised his brows.

"He took us in, showed us everything we know."

"Wait," Dean frowned. "So, what are we talking here? Some sort of kid's school for hunters?"

Krissy rolled her eyes dramatically. "Don't be such a dweeb, okay? We're not the X-Men. Victor's helping us get revenge."

"Yeah, well, I don't care what he is." Dean snapped. "He sucks. 'Cause you and your little crew here got caught. And if it wasn't for me, your faces would be splattered all over the news."

"Well, you know, so what?!" she yelled. "Maybe it's time that people know the truth about what's really going bump in the night."

"Oh, and cause panic? Create mayhem?" Dean scoffed. "Yeah, that's a great plan."

"Look, I don't need you to save me, Dean. I'm not a little kid anymore." She replied before storming away.

"Wow," Dean muttered.

Krissy walked over to Josephine and Aiden and helped them wrap the dead vampire in a plastic bag. Dean walked over to Sam and Angela, who stood a few feet away from the teenagers.

"What happened?" Angela asked.

"Teenagers, that's what." Dean sighed. "You guys are _so_ in for it when Grace grows up."

"Don't remind us," Sam muttered. "She tell you about Victor?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "What do we think?"

"Well, didn't we meet up with a hunter named Victor one time in Spokane?" Angela asked.

Dean thought for a moment. "That's a long time ago. I haven't heard about him since."

Sam sighed. "Alright, so, these kids are—

"Dangerous and off their meds?" Dean suggested. "Yeah, no kidding."

"So, what? We go and talk to Victor?" Angela asked.

~/~\~

The Impala and a red station wagon pulled up to a house and parked. Everyone got out and started to walk towards the house.

"Not what I'd call a compound," Dean muttered.

Everyone walked into the house. Sam, Dean, and Angela walked in and looked around.

"Huh," Dean mumbled.

"What's wrong?" Krissy asked.

"It's just not what I expected." Dean shrugged.

"And what was that?"

"A little more _'Lord of the Flies',_ less Huxtables."

"Sorry to disappoint." Victor chuckled as he walked down the stairs. "Victor Rogers."

"We met—a Rugaru hunt in Washington." Sam reminded. "I'm Sam. This is my wife, Angela, my brother Dean, and my daughter Grace."

"Oh, yes. The Winchesters. Right." Victor smiled.

Josephine walked up slowly looking at the hunters then back at Victor who then hugged her tightly.

"Hey." He murmured. "Better now?"

"Much." She nodded.

"And what do we always say?"

"Move on, but never forget."

"Good." Victor nodded. "Now, don't you have a trig test in the morning?"

Josephine smiled and walked upstairs. Aiden walked from the kitchen with an apple in his hands. Victor looked at him questioningly.

"Oh, I'm good, Vic," Aiden said. "No test. I'm just gonna chill, play video games."

"Yeah, keep dreaming." Victor retorted. "Because I asked you to clean your room twice and you still haven't done it. Go one."

Aiden rolled his eyes and walked up the stairs. Krissy walked over to stand in front of Victor.

"And you." He smiled.

"A full report about the hunt on your desk by morning." She smiled back. "Okay. I'll be in my room."

Krissy walked upstairs and Victor turned to look at the three hunters.

"Drink?"

"Sure." Dean pursed his lips.

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, and Angela sat on one of the couches and Victor sat in a chair across from them. Angela held Grace in her lap.

"So, these kids go to school—like, school-school, real school?" Sam asked.

"Yes, and they're doing incredibly well considering all they've been through."

"Okay, so how does this work?" Dean asked. "What, after—after soccer practice and—and the bake sale, they, uh, chop vampires' heads off?"

"Well, yeah." Victor nodded. "I think a balanced approach is best, don't you?"

"They're kids." Angela retorted. "They shouldn't be hunting at all. You got to break this up right now."

"When I found them, they were lost, confused, angry. I gave them family and purpose." Victor explained. "And you want to take all that away? Why?"

"So they don't get killed," Sam replied.

"They know the risks."

"Yeah, but why take them?" Angela questioned.

"Because the next generation of hunters has to be better," Victor replied.

"Better than what?" Sam's brows furrowed.

"Better than us." Victor sighed. "Oh, come on, guys. I know your friends. I mean, Martin was insane. And somebody obviously dropped Garth on his head when he was a baby. And I know you three loved that Bobby guy, but he was a barely functioning alcoholic."

"Watch it," Dean warned.

"No disrespect meant, but Josephine is an all-state athlete and National Merit scholar. Aiden is so fast he could pick your pocket before you could even blink. And Krissy, oh she's just a natural-born leader and hunter."

"So what?" Dean scoffed.

"So, these kids are the cream of the crop," Victor replied. "They are the Beatles. They are the dream team. And once they get their revenge… they'll be better hunters than any of us ever dreamed of."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked down the front path of Victor's house.

"This is crazy," Dean commented.

"Is it?" Sam sighed. "They got a pretty good life."

"Kids aren't supposed to hunt, Sam," Angela argued.

"We did." Sam shrugged.

"Yeah, and look what that did for us." Dean scoffed.

"Well, maybe they're doing it right. Maybe they can hunt and have a real life."

"You know it doesn't work like that." Angela reminded. "And I sure as hell hope you're not taking pointers from Victor because Grace won't be hunting until she's old enough to make that decision herself."

"Angie—

"No." she replied firmly. "We won't lie to her about what we do, but I want her to have the _option_ of living a normal life. Understood?"

Sam sighed and nodded. "Alright, well, what do you guys want to do about this? 'Cause Victor's not gonna stop this."

Dean pursed his lips. "They said they were hunting a nest, right?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"Well, let's hunt it for 'em," Dean suggested. "Well, that way, until we can figure out what to do with Victor, they stay safe."

"Alright, um… So, what's your move?" Sam asked.

"I want to talk to that girl who was tied up at the hotel," Dean muttered. "Something didn't smell right about that. Why don't you two stay here and look after the Brady Bunch?"

Sam and Angela nodded the turned to walk back into the house. Dean got into the Impala and drove off. Soon after, a blue van pulled up across the street, a hooded male in the driver's seat.


	37. Freaks and Geeks Part 2

Josephine sat at the kitchen table doing homework while Aiden and Krissy rushed around the dining room getting ready for school. Sam and Angela walked into the kitchen, having just woken up. Sam stretched and Angela was bottle-feeding Grace.

"Sam, Angela, just in time." Victor greeted. "Grab a seat."

"Waffles?" Sam asked, his voice thick with sleep.

"Yeah, Krissy's fav."

"My dad used to make 'em for me all the time," Krissy added. "I think it was the only thing he knew how to cook."

Victor removed the book from in front of Josephine. "Interact."

"Yeah, nerd." Aiden teased.

Victor tapped Aiden's elbow, which was on the table. "And you— _manners."_

Sam and Angela sat down at the table next to each other.

"We're gonna be late," Josephine noted.

"Come on. Grab your stuff." Victor instructed. "I'll pick you up after school."

"See ya," Krissy replied as the three teenagers left.

"Wow." Sam chuckled.

"Whirlwind, right?" Victor smiled.

"Yeah." Angela nodded. "Just think, Sammy, that'll be our future."

Sam chuckled and tickled Grace's stomach, causing her to giggle and coo.

"It's always like that with kids," Victor replied as he cleared the plates. "How old is your daughter?"

"About one-month-old," Sam answered with a small smile. "She's already growing up too fast."

"Yeah. That's how it was with my kids…" Victor recalled, pulling out his wallet.

"You had kids of your own?" Angela asked softly.

"Yeah. Well, until we went camping and a wendigo ripped them to shreds."

"We're sorry," Sam replied sincerely. "Is that why you're doing this, taking all these kids in?"

Victor nodded. "But you know what I realized, is that these kids, they don't have to live it the way we have. You know, crappy hotel rooms, always moving, no family, no life. It's not the only way."

~/~\~

Dean was at the police station with the girl who had been tied up in the hotel room. Dean was dressed in his FBI apparel.

"Like I told the cops already, I'm not sure why Jimmy Day would do something like this." The girl explained.

"Jimmy Day?" Dean asked. "Wait, so you knew the guy that grabbed you?"

"Everyone in town knows Jimmy." She shrugged. "He's a hero. We had a parade for him downtown when he came back from Afghanistan."

"Uh, sorry. When was this?"

"A few weeks ago." The girl answered.

Dean's brows furrowed in confusion. "So, uh… this Jimmy Day guy, he—he just grabbed you and took you to the hotel?"

"No." she shook her head. "I—I came from work and was in the parking lot when this blue van pulled up. This guy with a hoodie asked me directions. That's all I remember, till I woke up tied to that bed."

"And was hoodie there, too?"

The girl shook her head. "Just Jimmy, and he was crying, saying he was sorry and all."

"That he was sorry?" Dean's frown deepened.

"At first I thought he was gonna kill me." She admitted. "But then he just… he just seemed scared."

~/~\~

Sam and Angela looked at a series of framed photos on the mantle. Sam held Grace, who had one of her fists in her mouth. Angela picked up one of the photos and chuckled softly. The couple turned around when the heard the door open.

"Hey," Sam greeted as the teenagers walked in. "What happened to school?"

"Victor pulled us out," Aiden replied.

"Why?" Angela's brows furrowed.

"'Cause we've found another target," Victor replied as he walked in with a folder in his hand.

"Who?" Sam asked curiously.

"The vamp that killed Krissy's dad." He replied, giving Krissy a concerned look. "You ready?"

Krissy looked up and nodded silently.

"Okay," Victor replied, setting the folder on the table. He opened it revealing surveillance photos. "Pulled this from a security camera at a nearby gas station."

"Wait, how do we know this is definitely her?" Angela asked.

"Sheriff sketch, victim's accounts… and this." Victor held up a surveillance photo.

"My dad's necklace." Krissy murmured. "My mom gave it to him on their anniversary."

Sam's brows furrowed. "Are you sure this is a video surveillance pic?"

"It's her!" Krissy snapped angrily.

Angela's cell phone began to ring, and she pulled it out of her pocket. She sent Sam a silent look. "Excuse us."

Sam and Angela walked into a room that was farther away from the kitchen.

 _"Hey."_ Dean's voice rang through. _"You there?"_

"Yeah. How did it go with the girl?" Angela asked.

 _"Strange."_ Dean sighed. _"Might be that vampire wasn't lying. He was fresh made within the month, but Josephine's family was murdered three months ago."_

"So, who killed them, then?" Sam frowned.

_"I don't know. I'd like to talk to whoever's driving that blue van. Other than that… You?"_

"Something's up," Sam confirmed. "Victor says he has a surveillance photo of the vampire that killed Krissy's father. But, Dean… I'm not so sure."

 _"Why's that?"_ Dean asked.

"There's no time stamp on it."

_"Okay. So, you think he's lying?"_

"Well, that, or he's just wrong. It's hard to say." Angela muttered.

 _"Yeah, I never trust a guy who wears a sweater,"_ Dean replied. _"You guys want me to head back there?"_

"No, no. We're good. Let us do some more digging." Sam replied.

_"Alright. I'm gonna talk to the hotel clerk, see what he knows."_

Angela ended the call and pocketed the phone. Sam glanced out the window and frowned when he noticed a blue van across the street. He tapped Angela's arm, getting her attention. The couple hurriedly walked back to the kitchen, frowning when they noticed everyone was gone.

"Hey. Where did everybody go?" Sam asked.

"Tracking that vamp," Victor replied.

"Well, I think we got a problem a lot closer to home. Look at this." Angela gestured outside to the van. "See that blue van? Dean saw it outside the hotel yesterday. We think he's working with the vampire we popped."

"Looks like we're going hunting," Victor muttered.

~/~\~

Dean walked into the hotel and towards the front desk.

"Ah. Nice to see you again." The clerk smiled.

Dean started to take some money out of his wallet. "Yeah, I bet. Listen, I need to know who, uh, checked into room 215 yesterday." He replied as he slid $60 over.

The clerk counted the money. "215. It was some guy wearing a hoodie, so it was hard to make out his face."

"He drive a blue van, by any chance?" Dean questioned.

"Do I look like a valet?" the clerk sassed. "He took one of those." He gestured to the wall lined with brochures.

"Which one?"

"The one that says 'lodge' on it." The clerk answered.

Dean grabbed one of the brochures. "Conway Springs Lodge."

"Yep," the clerk nodded. "Big during the summer season. But this time of year, it's closed."

"How far away is it from here?"

"Oh, it's a couple miles down the road." The clerk shrugged.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela walked outside the blue van and looked through the driver's side window. Angela was carrying Grace in a papoose carrier as they walked. Sam, Angela, and Victor walked towards the back of the blue van and down the street.

~/~\~

Dean drove up to a camping hotel and he passed a sign that read _'Conway Springs Lodge'_ on it. He parked the Impala next to the sign and cut off the engine before he got out of the car. Dean looked around to make sure that no one was around before he walked up to the buildings. He slid the machete from his sheath and pulled a flashlight from his pocket as he walked inside one of the buildings. Dean shined the flashlight around and frowned when he saw a girl sitting on the bottom of a bunk bed.

"Hey!" he snapped. "Who the hell are you?!"

The girl looked terrified, weak, and dirty. She shied away from the light and started sobbing.

"Answer me!" Dean demanded.

"Please make it go away." She begged. "It hurts so much."

"What? Wha…" Dean trailed off when he noticed a nearby light switch. He flipped the lights on.

"No, shut them off!" she begged. "They're too bright!"

"Not till you tell me what the hell's going on here," Dean replied.

"I don't know!" she cried.

Suddenly, the girl's fangs started to descend. She brought her hands up to her face.

"What's happening to me?!"

"Come here." Dean yanked her up off the bed and put the machete to her neck. "That's never happened to you before?"

"No." she shook her head. "No, there's something wrong with me. That—that guy, he did something to me."

"What guy?" Dean demanded.

"I don't know!" the girl exclaimed. "The guy in the blue van, he—he grabbed me. He took me there." She added before she doubled over in pain. "Oh, my stomach. It hurts so much."

Krissy cocked her gun from behind Dean. "Dean!"

He turned around at the sound of his name, only to see Krissy, Aiden, and Josephine standing behind him. Dean put a hand up to stop them.

~/~\~

As Sam and Angela walked, they noticed a suspicious-looking person run in front of them and duck behind a nearby tree. Sam motioned to Victor to go on the other side of the tree. Victor smiled and took a gun out of his sweater pocket. The hooded guy waited quietly. Just as Sam was about to attack the man, Victor came up behind him and hit Sam over the head with his gun. Angela turned to look at Victor, wide-eyed. Victor just pointed the gun at Angela, motioning for her to start walking.

~/~\~

"Put those away, and we can talk," Dean commanded.

"Why are you with the vampire that killed my dad?" Krissy questioned.

"You're barking up the wrong tree," Dean replied. "She didn't kill your pops."

Krissy clenched her jaw. "I don't want to hurt you, Dean, but I will if you don't move."

"Listen to me, Krissy," Dean stressed. "She's innocent."

"And how would you know that?" Josephine glared.

"Because she's fresh-made, a day or two. Her dad was killed months ago." Dean explained. "This whole thing stinks. That vamp that we killed last night? Why was he swearing that he didn't do it?"

"Because he was a liar," Aiden replied obviously.

"Vampires don't beg for their lives. They attack." Dean retorted. "Look, last time I'm gonna ask you nicely. Take the damn guns off me, or somebody's gonna get hurt."

"Big talk." Aiden sassed.

Dean quickly disarmed Aiden and cleared his gun, letting the rounded chamber fall to the floor. "I know. It is, isn't it?"

"So, let's say this isn't the vamp who killed my dad." Krissy proposed. "She's still a monster and deserves to die."

"Not if we can save her." Dean corrected.

"What?" Aiden scoffed.

"She hasn't fed yet. We can reverse this if we find her maker and get his blood."

"And why should we care about her?" Aiden asked.

"Like I said," Dean sighed. "Hunting isn't always about killing."

"Oh, please." Aiden rolled his eyes. "Preach to some other choir. We're not buying it."

"You want to kill an innocent girl?!" Dean roared.

"I want the bloodsucker who killed my dad to pay," Krissy replied.

"And we're gonna find out who that is," Dean assured. "But let's not be so bloodthirsty that just anyone will do."

"But Victor says it's her," Josephine argued.

"And I say it ain't!" Dean snapped. "So, we're gonna pack her to go, and we're gonna ask Victor ourselves. Okay?"

~/~\~

Sam started to wake up from the blow to the back of the head. Both he and Angela were tied to their chairs in Victor's living room. Victor sat on the couch next to them, holding a wailing Grace. The hooded vampire stood nearby.

"You okay, Sammy?" Angela asked.

Sam nodded and groaned slightly. "Let go of my daughter you son of a bitch." He glared at Victor.

"You're awake." Victor smiled. "Good. We don't have much time."

"For what?" Sam glared.

The hooded vampire started turning over furniture.

"Picture this," Victor started. "The kids arrive home victorious, only to find you dead in their living room. It seems that nest of vampires they were hunting was seeking revenge… and killed you. Thus, inspiring them to hunt even more. I'm sorry. I can't have anyone poisoning my kids' minds."

"Other than yourself, that is." Angela retorted.

"I don't need to justify my actions to you two or your self-righteous ass of a brother!" Victor roared.

"You mean like why you're working with a vampire?" Sam raised his brows. "So, what's he get out of this? Free roaming rights?"

"We are at war—a war that we are losing. That Leviathan fiasco was a wake-up call." Victor explained. "We have to do what we can to survive. I have a second chance to make it alright, to create the next generation of hunters—stronger, faster, smarter."

The front door opened suddenly and Victor used his free hand to pull out his gun.

"Hey, we're home." Dean greeted.

The hooded vampire smiled at the kids when they walked in, showing off his fangs.

"What is going on here?" Josephine frowned.

"These three are not to be trusted. They're trying to destroy us." Victor explained.

"Do you know this vamp, Victor?" Aiden frowned.

"Of course he does! They're working together!" Sam replied.

"Is that true?" Aiden questioned.

Victor paused. "It's complicated."

"No, actually, it's not," Dean interjected. "See, blue van here's been turning fresh vamps and setting them up for you kids as easy kills."

"But why?" Josephine asked.

"Because they didn't kill our families, did they?" Krissy glared.

"No," Victor admitted.

"Well, then who did?" Josephine interrogated.

"I did." The hooded vamp replied. "And they all screamed… and begged for mercy, especially the little ones."

"Enough, Seth!" Victor hissed. "You have to understand. I saw a way to make the future better. But to get there, I had to do something hard."

"He killed them off your orders?" Krissy asked.

"You needed motivation," Victor replied in defense. "I scouted each and every one of you. And I knew it was the only way to get you to hunt."

"So, you killed our families?" Aiden's brows furrowed.

"I know, the deaths are tragic. But think of all the future lives that will now be saved because you are now together."

"So, these fake vampires were just a way for you to train us and fill out heads with lies?!" Krissy yelled.

"Don't you see? This is bigger than all of us." Victor replied. "We have to learn to put things in perspective. Come with me. We can get past this."

Victor gently tossed his gun on the couch and set Grace down on her back on the couch. Krissy stepped closer to Josephine and Aiden. The three teenagers looked at each other and Krissy just shook her head 'no'.

"That is unfortunate." Victor pursed his lips.

He gave a side looked to Seth, who quickly moved over to Aiden, grabbing him. Dean used this time to draw a handgun from a side holster which he then pointed at Seth.

"Aiden!" Krissy cried.

"We're leaving," Victor replied.

Krissy stepped in front of Victor, blocking his path. "That's not happening."

"I taught you everything you know." He reminded. "Don't make me hurt you."

"Not everything, Victor." Krissy retorted.

Krissy signaled Josephine who pulled out a knife and tried to stab Victor with it, but failing. Meanwhile, Krissy quickly pulled out a tranquilizer gun and shot one into Seth's eye and another into his chest. As Victor turned around to face Krissy again, she pulled out her gun and pointed it at him.

"Krissy, don't," Dean said firmly.

"If we want revenge for our families' deaths, he gives it to us!" she snapped.

"We don't kill people. You don't kill people." Dean reminded.

Krissy shook her head. "He's not a person. He's a monster."

She stepped towards Victor who backed up slowly then fell to his knees.

"Krissy, this ends badly, no matter what we do," Angela interjected.

"Exactly," Krissy replied, cocking her gun.

Dean lowered his gun and stepped towards her. "Krissy, don't."

"This is for my dad." She glared.

Krissy pulled the trigger, but it only dry fired. Victor flinched at the sound and gasped. Krissy continued to pull the trigger.

"For Josephine's family. For Aiden. For me." She glared at Victor. Krissy dropped the bullets that hadn't been loaded into the gun near Victor, who started sobbing.

"So, we're just gonna let him live?" Aiden frowned.

"Yeah." Krissy nodded. "All alone, with himself. No family. No friends. Ask me, that's not much of anything." She added before turning to Dean.

While Victor sobbed on his hands and knees on the floor, he pulled a gun from his sock holster. Josephine quickly grabbed Grace from the couch.

"Gun!" she exclaimed.

Before anyone could get to him, Victor put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger, killing himself instantly. Grace started to wail at the loud noise in Josephine's arms.

~/~\~

Aiden sat next to the girl from the lodge on the couch in the living room. Josephine sat on the coffee table in front of her and Kissy handed the girl a glass of the vampire cure.

"Just drink slowly," Josephine instructed. "This will take away all the pain."

Krissy walked over to Sam, Dean, and Angela who stood near the front door. Angela held Grace who was sleeping peacefully.

"Proud of you," Dean noted.

"Shut up, before I punch you." Krissy retorted.

"So, how's she doing?" Angela asked.

"Better now."

"Oh, um…" Sam pulled out Krissy's dad's necklace and handed it to her. "I think this is yours."

"Thank you," Krissy replied sincerely.

"We'll wait outside." Angela smiled softly. "Come on, Sammy."

"Okay." Dean sighed as the couple walked out of the house. "Whenever you're ready, we'll be in the car."

Krissy's brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"Your aunt? Cincinnati? Normal life?" he reminded. "We'll be there by lunch tomorrow."

"Look," she sighed. "I hate how we were put together, but… I can't deny that it feels right. And why should I let Victor ruin that, too?"

"So, what you're saying is that you like that boy over there and you want to stay?" Dean raised his brows.

"What? Aiden?" she scoffed. "No. I mean… he's like my brother. It's nothing like that."

"Well, you're all still minors." Dean reminded.

"Not for long." She countered. "Josephine will be 18 in a few months. And we all have a life and each other here."

"And hunting?"

Krissy sighed again. "We won't go looking for it. But if any monsters show up around here, they better look out."

Dean pursed his lips. "Okay. Good."

"Really?" Krissy looked surprised. "I thought I was gonna have to fight you way more on that."

"Well, you're right. You're not a kid anymore. You can make your own decisions."

"You're alright for an old guy." She smirked.

Dean rolled his eyes. "I'm _really_ not that old."

"You keep telling yourself that." She chuckled.

"Huh. Alright. Well, I'm gonna have a, uh—a guy come and check on you every once in a while, okay?" Dean replied. "His name is Garth. He'll make sure that you're alright and got what you need."

"Garth?"

"Yeah. He's a little strange at first, but you'll come to love him." Dean assured.

Dean held up a closed fist for a 'pound it', but Krissy got on her toes and pressed a friendly kiss to his cheek.

"Take care, Dean." She smiled.

Krissy walked off back to where Josephine and the girl were still sitting, and Aiden stared at Dean from down the hallway.

"Yeah. Goodbye, Dean." He said before trying to duck back into the kitchen.

Dean waved him over. "Aiden. Listen, there's, uh, something I want to tell you about Krissy."

"I know. I know." Aiden rolled his eyes. "You'll kill me if I ever hurt her. Blah, blah, blah."

"No, no. No." Dean shook his head. "She'll kill you." He patted Aiden on the back. "Good luck."

~/~\~

"This is good," Sam noted as they walked towards the Impala.

"Is it?" Dean raised his brows.

"Could have been a lot worse," Angela replied.

"Will be if we don't shut those Gates of Hell soon," Dean muttered.

"What do they have to do with any of that?" Sam frowned.

"They're hunters now. You don't just walk away from that." Dean replied. "There's only one way out of that, and we all know it ain't pretty."

"Maybe they'll be different." Sam shrugged as Angela buckled Grace into her car seat.

"Or maybe if we shut that hellhole once and for all, those three can have a real life." Dean retorted.

"Maybe they won't be the only ones," Sam muttered to himself.


	38. Taxi Driver Part 1

Dean pounded on the metal door. "Kevin, open up! Kevin!"

Kevin opened the door, a huge cast-iron skillet in hand. He looked haunted, tired, and unkempt.

"Whoa! Whoa. Geez." Dean frowned. "What's going on? What's with the S.O.S.?" he added as they walked inside.

"It's him," Kevin replied vaguely.

Angela's brows furrowed. "It's who?"

_"Crowley."_

"What about him?" Dean asked.

"He's in my head," Kevin replied.

Sam frowned deeply. "He's… in your _head."_

"Do you know what that means?" Kevin asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah, it means we need to up your anxiety meds," Dean muttered. "Kevin, you're dreaming. Look, if Crowley knew where you were, he'd do a hell of a lot more than mess with your head."

Angela shifted Grace in her arms slightly. "Alright, where's Garth, hon?"

"On a case or—or the dentist." He shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't heard from him."

"Okay, well, what did you want to tell us that you couldn't say over the phone?" Dean pressed. "Would you put the frying pan down, please?"

Kevin set the pan on the stove. "I translated the second trial from the tablet."

"You… crazy Prophet, you." Dean grinned. "Nice work!"

"And if Crowley's in my head, he knows," Kevin added.

Angela sighed. "Okay, hon, he's _definitely_ not in your head."

"We know you're distressed," Sam added. "Just stay with us, alright? What's the second trial?"

"An innocent soul has to be rescued from Hell and delivered unto Heaven." He explained.

"What?" Dean frowned.

"Unto. That's—that's how God talks."

"Rescue a soul from Hell? Like actually… Go to Hell?" Sam asked, confused. "How—how do you get a soul unto Heaven? I mean, how do you even get a soul out of Hell?"

Dean pursed his lips. "We're gonna need an expert."

~/~\~

Sam put a box in a hole in the ground and covered it using his foot.

"Winchesters." The demon greeted, his eyes flashing red.

"What happened to the hot chicks?" Dean scoffed.

The demon rolled his eyes. "I'm out of here." He replied, frowning when he couldn't move.

"Maybe not," Angela smirked.

The demon looked down, silently cursing when he saw the huge devil's trap.

~/~\~

The demon was tied to a chair seated under a devil's trap in the abandoned warehouse. Sam, Dean, and Angela stood in front of him. Angela held Grace, who was grasping her flannel shirt tightly.

"I ain't got nothing." The demon glared.

Dean dumped holy water on him, causing the demon to sizzle. "Oh?"

"Bite me." The demon ground out.

"Well, then how about another owie?" Dean suggested, dumping more holy water on the demon.

"You know, wouldn't it be a lot easier just to tell us how to enter Hell, uh, uninvited?" Angela tilted her head.

"It's… a secret."

"We promise we won't tell anyone," Dean assured, moving to dump more holy water.

"No! Wait." The demon stopped him. "I can't. It's forbidden. They're gonna kill me."

Sam pursed his lips and poured holy water on the demon, causing him to scream in pain.

"Please…" he begged. "Alright, look… For a price, y'all can be smuggled across Hell's border."

"By who?" Angela demanded.

"Rogue reapers. They got secret ways, in and out. Not just Hell—the Veil, Heaven."

"Rogue reapers smuggling people?" Sam questioned.

"People, souls…" the demon shrugged.

"So, what? They're like hell coyotes?" Sam asked.

"Now kill me." The demon pleaded. "Come on. Better death than Crowley."

"Hmm. Good point." Dean nodded. "But first, you're gonna tell us… everything."

~/~\~

The Impala came to a stop at the side of the street. Sam, Dean, and Angela got out of the Impala and walked across the street where a yellow cab was parked. Angela held an umbrella over her and Grace as the three hunters walked. The taxi driver stood next to his cab, newspaper in hand.

"Ajay." Dean greeted. "Need to talk to you for a sec."

"You know my name," Ajay replied as he removed his Bluetooth headset.

"And what you do." Angela nodded. "We want to do business."

Ajay's brows furrowed in confusion. "But you are mortal—flesh and blood."

"But, if we wanted to cross the border into Hell—

"Visitor's pass." Dean clarified.

"No one wants to _get into_ Hell." Ajay frowned.

"But could a coyote like you do it?" Angela asked.

"It's possible." Ajay nodded. "But I have special skills. I have overhead. It will be pricey."

"How pricey?" Dean narrowed his eyes.

"You three are resourceful. One day, you will owe me a favor."

"You say that like you know us." Sam scoffed.

"Of course. You're the Winchesters."

"Sorry," Dean cut in. "Have we met?"

"I am the reaper who took Bobby Singer to Hell," Ajay explained.

"Bobby in Hell?" Angela raised her brows. "We burned his bones. Once we did that, it was over. End of story."

"Hmm… Not necessarily."

"No, no, no." Dean shook his head. "'Cause, see, Bobby was on the good side of things, and good guys go to the penthouse."

"Usually, mostly," Ajay replied. "Depends on who you know, what palms get greased. If you're on the King of Hell's no-fly list, no way you cruise the friendly skies."

"Crowley." Dean rolled his eyes. "Okay, let's do this. How much for three tickets down and four back?"

"Dean." Sam sighed.

"What?"

"Come here."

The three hunters walked away from Ajay.

"What the hell are you thinking?" Sam huffed.

"You heard the guy—Bobby's in Hell. We're gonna spring him." Dean shrugged.

Sam sighed, clearly frustrated. "We've gone over this, Dean. I have to do the trials solo."

"This is Bobby we're talking about, Sam." His brother argued. "Now let's face it—you have not exactly been up to full speed lately, okay? We got one shot at this. We can't miss."

"I'm not gonna miss," Sam assured, opening his jacket to reveal the demon knife. "I'll bring him back." He added before turning back to Ajay. "I'm in, just me."

"Follow me," Ajay instructed.

"Wait, wait, wait." Angela stopped him. "How does this… work?"

"Not to fret. He'll be back in exactly 24 hours. Return for him then." Ajay instructed.

He started to lead Sam away, and Grace started to cry loudly. Sam paused and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Come back in one piece." Angela murmured.

"Of course, Angie." Sam smiled softly, pressing a quick kiss to her lips.

Sam and Ajay left and Grace continued to cry. Angela bounced her in her arms softly.

"It's okay, baby girl." She soothed. "Daddy'll be back."

~/~\~

Ajay led Sam into an alley that was completely covered in graffiti. There was a door painted on one of the walls.

"Take my hand," Ajay instructed.

"And it gets creepier," Sam mumbled as he took Ajay's hand.

Ajay stared straight ahead, and the wall appeared to shake and liquefy. Suddenly, Ajay and Sam were sucked through the door that was now encased in light.

~/~\~

Sam looked around the forest with wide eyes. "So, this is Hell?"

"Not at all. This is Purgatory." Ajay replied.

Sam's brows furrowed. "What do you mean this is Purgatory? This isn't what I paid for. I booked the Hell tour."

"Whoa, whoa, Winchester, detach." Ajay tried to calm him down. "This is Hell-adjacent. Been down this highway many times before. Follow the stream to where three trees meet as one. Where they meet, there are rocks. Between the rocks is the portal."

"A portal?" Sam questioned.

"A back door to Hell. Trust me—it'll work."

Sam frowned deeply. "Wait. So, you're not coming with me?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Ajay scoffed. "Smuggling a mortal across the border is risky enough. But gate-crashing a Winchester into Hell seriously blows. No. I'll be back in 24 hours, precisely. Be here."

Sam raised the demon knife and started to turn away.

"It's a good thing you brought that," Ajay added. "It is not an easy place."

~/~\~

"Yo, Kev, it's us!" Dean called out as he and Angela entered.

Dean was carrying a bag of take-out food while Angela carried Grace, who was napping.

"Kevin?" Angela called out.

Kevin opened the closet door. "I believe the closet would be safest." He said from the doorway.

"Safe from what, hon?" Angela asked."

"Crowley. He's in my head." Kevin replied. "And if he's in my head, he knows where I am! You know, we—we should move out. We'll find another place."

Dean sighed heavily. "Geez, Kev, would you chill out, huh? Have a burger. Come on. Don't lose it on me now, dude."

Kevin walked out of the closet and took the burger that Dean held out.

"There you go. That's it." Dean nodded.

"Just tell me when this all ends, 'cause that's the only thing I want to hear," Kevin mumbled.

"No, like I told you before, this isn't going to end," Dean replied. "Look, man, other guys, they got it easy, you know? It's all backyard barbecues and… bowling teams, but us? We got to carry a little extra weight."

"I can't take it," Kevin replied.

"Yes, you can, hon," Angela assured gently. "Hey, look at me. Now, this whole thing sucks. We know. But you gotta push through."

"And when you get on board with that, the ride is a lot smoother," Dean added. "French fry?"

"I'm gonna—I'm gonna be in my room. Let me know when there's a good day." Kevin muttered as he grabbed a tray before walking back to the closet.

"That's my pie." Dean frowned. "Angie, he took my pie…"

~/~\~

Sam walked through the forest, looking around. Suddenly, he heard a branch snap and exhaled sharply. Out of nowhere, a monster came up and started attacking. Sam wrestled him onto the ground and shoved the attacker away, grabbing the monster's weapon. He beheaded the monster, picked up the demon knife, and stood up. He continued walking until he found where the three trees met as one and the rocks. Sam pulled one of the large rocks away, revealing the tunnel.

"It's a rabbit hole. This is nuts." He breathed before he was sucked into the tunnel.

~/~\~

Sam appeared in a dark corridor and grimaced as he pulled himself out of the opening. He took off his watch and placed it high on a nearby ledge. With his Purgatory weapon at the ready, he walked down the corridor where souls cried and screamed.

"I'm… innocent. Help me." A woman begged. She was chained, bloodied, and burned.

"Eddy? Eddy?" A man asked, holding his hands out to Sam. "Eddy? Eddy?"

"You came. I knew you would. I've been praying for it forever." A girl said from her cell. "You came I knew you would. I've been praying for it forever."

"I'm not… him. I'm sorry." Sam replied sadly.

"You came. I knew you would. I've been praying for it. Forever."

Sam continued down the corridor. He stopped at another door and opened it easily. Sam slowly entered the cell, noticing a figure against the far wall. The figure wore a leather jacket and a ball cap.

"Bobby?" Sam breathed.

The figure, Bobby, turned around looking very haggard. He paused for a moment before punching Sam square in the face.


	39. Taxi Driver Part 2

"Get the hell out of here, you black-eyed son of a bitch!" Bobby snapped.

"What?" Sam's brows furrowed as he put a hand to his face. "Bobby, it's Sam."

"Yeah, and I'm Elvis." Bobby sassed. "Move your ass!"

"Bobby—

"Get!"

"It's me!" Sam stressed. "Okay, _dammit._ If it's not Sam… Then how do I know all about you and Tori Spelling?"

"What?" Bobby's brows furrowed.

"You're a fan. Yeah. Or—or, uh… Okay," Sam huffed. "What about your free pedicure at the Mall of America? You made Dean swear to _never_ tell another living soul how it changed your life."

"Sam?" Bobby breathed, pulling him into a tight hug. "I'm sorry, Sam, but you're the 200th 'Sam' I've seen today. That's how they screw with me. Just endless Sams, Deans, and Angies all wearing the same black eyes." He explained. "Wait a minute. What the hell are you doing here? Please don't tell me it's what I think it is."

"No, no, no, Bobby, I'm good," Sam assured. "I… I'm here to get you. You don't belong here, Bobby." He handed the demon knife over. "And we're getting you out."

~/~\~

Angela was at the stove, frying eggs and bacon while Dean sat at the table holding Grace. Grace grasped Dean's flannel with her tiny hands and cooed softly.

"Hey, Kevin!" Angela called. "Come in here and grab some of these eggs. Kev! Come on, hon. You can't hide in there forever."

Suddenly, Kevin walked through the main door. Dean frowned in confusion.

"Where the hell you been? What happened to being scared?" Dean questioned.

"I _am_ scared," Kevin replied. "So, I made a preemptive move."

"So… Made a what now?" Dean asked.

"I can't sit here with the tablet like a… sitting duck and Crowley breathing down my ass." He explained. "Getting rid of the tablet just takes off some of the pressure."

"Wait." Angela frowned. "Getting rid of it?"

"Temporarily. I hid it."

"What? Where?" Dean questioned.

"If I tell you where, it's not hidden, is it?" Kevin sassed.

Dean clenched his jaw. "Kevin, tell us where the damn tablet is, or I swear to you—

"You'll what Dean?" Kevin challenged as he went back into the closet.

"Kevin!" Dean snapped.

"Kids," Naomi said suddenly, appearing behind the two hunters. "So cute when they're little. Then they turn into teenagers, and the part's over. We haven't been formally introduced. My name is Naomi."

Angela narrowed her eyes. "Oh, we know who you are. And we know what you did to Cas after he got out of Purgatory."

"After I _rescued_ him from Purgatory, you mean." Naomi corrected. "At the cost of many angels' lives."

"You screwed with his head and had him spy on us." Dean glared.

Naomi sighed. "Well, it is true that I have spoken with Castiel many times, trying to reach out to him, trying to help him. Dean, you must have noticed now how Purgatory changed him. I mean, he's been unstable in the past, but I was shocked at how damaged he is now."

"Stop, okay?" Angela snapped. "Don't—don't try to spin this. You think we don't know that you told him to try and kill us?"

"Hmm." She hummed. "Yeah, I suppose that is how he would hear it. When I learned of the Angel Tablet, I did tell Castiel to get it at any cost. That's my job—to protect Heaven. I'm a warrior, just as you are. What would you expect? And now Castiel is in the wind with a hydrogen bomb in his pocket, and I—I'm scared, for all of us."

"Save it." Dean scoffed. "See, we don't trust angels. Which means we don't trust you."

"And yet you haven't warded this place against us." Naomi countered. "I know. You're hoping Castiel will return to you. I admire your loyalty. I only wish he felt the same way. I know you don't want to believe it, but we're on the same side—shutting the Gates of Hell, bringing Castiel in from the cold. Take a moment. Think about what I've said." She explained. "Oh. I know you've been doing business with Ajay. He did mention, didn't he, that his way into Hell is through Purgatory? I knew you'd want to know. You see, we can be of help to each other."

~/~\~

"You know where the hell you're going?" Bobby questioned as they walked through the corridors.

"Yeah, we're almost there. Get back. Get back, get back." Sam instructed when he noticed a demon walking towards them.

Sam attacked first, then Bobby stabbed the demon knife. Another demon attacked Bobby, but again he used the knife.

"Let's go! We got to get out of here!" Sam yelled.

"Bobby, they're messing with you." A second Sam said.

"Don't listen to him. He's not real."

Bobby looked frantically between the two Sams.

"Bobby, get away from him!"

"We got to go now—aah!" the second Sam yelled as Bobby stabbed him with the demon knife.

Sam looked at Bobby with wide eyes. "You knew somehow, right?"

"Took a chance. 50/50." Bobby admitted as they started to run. "What do we do now?"

"Look, look." Sam grabbed his watch from the ledge.

~/~\~

Dean and Angela walked around the corner towards Ajay's cab. They stopped by the car door and Dean pounded on the window.

"Ajay? Hey."

Dean opened the door and Angela immediately covered Grace's eyes. Ajay sat in his car, dead.

~/~\~

Sam and Bobby were spewed out of Hell and into Purgatory. Sam put on his watch.

"What the hell is this?" Bobby asked as he looked around.

"Alright, don't get all pissed off." Sam prefaced. "Purgatory."

"Balls!" Bobby complained.

"Let's go."

~/~\~

Dean walked beside Angela, talking on the phone. "Yeah. Hey, it's me. I know. I know, man." He sighed. "It's been a long time. I mean, I wanted to call. I did. I just, uh… I thought it might be better if I didn't."

 _"So good to hear your voice, Dean. I mean that."_ Benny's voice rang through.

"How you been?" Dean asked.

_"Oh, you know… I get by."_

Dean pursed his lips. "I guess I let you down, huh?"

 _"Look, I'm, uh… I'm just happy as hell to hear from you."_ Benny replied sincerely.

"You might change your mind about that…"

_"Why? What you mean?"_

"Benny," Dean sighed. "I got to ask you a favor. It's a big one."

~/~\~

"So, how many more of these trials after this?" Bobby questioned as they walked through the forest.

"Just one," Sam answered. "Don't know what it is, though—not yet. Kevin's still translating."

"Well, you saw back there in Hell, I ain't got a lot of rust. Just feels so good to be back in action again." Bobby replied. "Might be handy if you had me around to help."

"Bobby, I'd—I'd love that, believe me." Sam sighed heavily. "The thing is, for this trial to be completed, your soul has to enter Heaven. And besides, if that weren't the case, we burned your bones, Bobby. There's nothing to tie your spirit to Earth."

"Yeah." Bobby agreed sadly. "Yeah, well… You know, I always figured that'd be the end of it… You know, just a hunter's funeral. Zip. Nothing. And I was okay with that. Imagine my surprise."

"Well, I guess if there has to be an eternity, I'd pick Heaven over Hell."

"Yeah." Bobby scoffed. "'Cause there's nothing screwy going on up there."

"I wish I made the rules." Sam chuckled.

"Well… I'll, uh, do my part, get to the end of this, but… I ain't exactly the retiring type, so, you idjits figure out a way to spring me…"

Sam stopped walking and looked around. "Yeah. No, of course. That's, uh—yeah."

"Oh, well, let's get topside," Bobby replied. "What's going on, Sam?"

"This is it. This is the place. I'm sure of it." Sam muttered.

"Where your cabbie's supposed to meet you?"

"Yeah. At exactly… now." Sam checked his watch.

"So, he's running a little late." Bobby shrugged.

"No, see, that's the thing. He was very specific, Bobby, like, to the minute."

"And if he doesn't show…?" Bobby raised his brows.

"We got no way out."

~/~\~

Dean, Angela, and Benny stood by the Impala. Grace was in a stroller that was next to Angela.

"If you want nothing to do with this, I completely understand." Dean acknowledged.

"Wow." Benny whistled. "When Dean Winchester asks for a favor, he's not screwing around."

"Benny, sending you back there is the last thing I ever wanted to do," Dean replied sincerely.

"I know. I know."

"But, it's… it's Sammy. He's stuck down there." Dean added.

"This would be the Sam who wants to kill me, right?" Benny raised a brow.

"You got access to the place." Dean sighed.

"Bye 'access,' you mean 'getting beheaded'?"

"Yeah, you're right—it's too much. It's not like I've exactly been there for you lately." Dean's voice shook.

"What?" Benny frowned. "Oh, come on, Dean. You know I love a challenge."

"You're serious?" Dean asked.

"Hey, he's your family. I say let's do this."

"We owe you," Angela replied sincerely.

"Oh, you guys don't owe me nothing," Benny replied. "Truth is, uh… I could use a break from all this."

"It really been that tough?" Dean asked.

"I'm not a good fit, Dean. Not with vampires and, for sure, not with the humans." Benny explained. "I don't belong. And after a while… that starts to wear on you. Right? Cry me a river. Like you need to listen to this."

"Well, when you get back up here, we're gonna fix all that, okay?" Dean assured.

"When I get back?"

"Yeah, you find the portal, and you ride out of Purgatory with Sam just like you did with me, okay?" Dean replied. "As soon as I send you back, Angie and I are gonna haul ass up to Maine, and we'll be there waiting."

"Yeah." Benny nodded. "That sounds like a plan, chief. Let's get on with it."

"You sure about this?" Dean questioned.

Benny chuckled. "Not my first rodeo, man."

"Thank you," Angela told Benny sincerely as Dean grabbed his machete. "I—I know I haven't exactly been your biggest fan—

"Don't worry about it, darlin'," Benny assured. "I get it."

Dean pulled Benny in for a hug. "Thank you." He whispered before pulling away, tears in his eyes.

"Well, come on. You a whimp?" Benny forced a smile on his face.

Dean paused and beheaded Benny. Angela took Dean's hand in hers and squeezed it gently.

~/~\~

"Dean spent almost a year in this place?" Bobby frowned.

"Running and fighting, all day, every day," Sam replied.

"Must have been hell on you and Angie not being able to get him out all that time," Bobby commented, frowning when he got no response. "You did try?"

Sam sighed. "Look, Bobby, we had an agreement, okay?"

"I know that agreement. I _taught_ you that agreement. That's a _non-agreement."_ Bobby retorted. "I get the feeling a lot must have happened while I was gone."

"A lot did happen, Bobby," Sam let out another sigh. "Angie got pregnant, and I thought the best course of action was to settle down."

Bobby looked shocked. "You and Angie have a kid now?"

"A baby girl." Sam nodded. "Her name is Grace."

Bobby was about to say something when three vampires came up, ready to attack. "Sam!" Bobby yelled.

Sam decapitated the first vampire, then the second one attacked Bobby, but Sam decapitated that one as well. The third one was pulled back by Benny who then ripped out its throat. Bobby was ready to kill Benny when Sam grabbed him.

"Bobby, no, no, wait! Wait! Wait!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Benny stood, his fangs exposed. "Dean sent me."

"Dean? Not my Dean." Bobby glared.

"He's a buddy of Dean's, Bobby," Sam replied.

"A buddy?" He scoffed.

"A good buddy," Benny assured.

"A frigging vampire?" Bobby questioned. "Well, you three really went off the rails while I was gone, didn't you?"

~/~\~

"Hey, Benny, listen," Sam started as they walked through the forest. "I know you saved my brother's ass a few times down here, and I respect that."

"Yeah, and now I'm trying to save yours," Benny replied. "You know, I'm a disgrace to my own people. Yeah, this is the spot."

"The seam that gets us back up top?" Bobby asked.

"Mm-hmm."

"Is that it?" Bobby gestured to the flickering portal.

"Yeah, that's it." Benny nodded. "You boys remember what I told you?"

"Yeah. Alright, Bobby, here goes." Sam sighed. "When we get to Earth and I release you, it's an express straight to Heaven. No time for goodbyes."

"Already said goodbye to you once, Sam." He smirked. "Didn't seem to take. No reason to think I won't see you again somewhere down the road."

"Yeah."

"But if they give me a rocking chair up there, I'm raising hell." He added, causing Sam to chuckle. Bobby used the knife to slice his forearm.

"Conjucti sumus," Sam chanted as he cut his own arm. "Unum sumus."

Sam and Bobby gripped each other's wrists and Bobby turned into a stream of light that shot into Sam's arm.

"Alright," Sam turned to Benny. "It's your turn. Hurry up."

"Benny." A voice called out as a group of vampires stalked over. "And still working with the Winchesters."

"Hurry." Sam pressed.

"Time for you to go, Sam." Benny patted him on the shoulder.

"Benny?" Sam frowned.

"Go on. It's me they want." He replied. "Go on. You just make sure you tell Dean I said goodbye. I was never any good up there anyway."

"Benny, wait!" Sam exclaimed, tossing his Purgatory weapon over to him.

Benny used the weapon to take out the closest vampire. The other two started to attack as Sam made his way to the portal. He looked back to see Benny on the ground fighting.

"Benny?" he asked before he was sucked through the portal.

~/~\~

_100-Mile Wilderness, Maine_

Dean and Angela were walking through the woods. Angela carried Grace in a papoose carrier as they walked. There was a flash of light and Sam was there. He walked over to Dean and Angela. Angela leaned up and pressed a passionate, loving kiss to Sam's lips as Grace started to coo happily at the sight of her father. Dean pulled Sam into a tight hug.

"Purgatory, right?" Dean asked as he pulled away. "A real garden pot, ain't it?"

"Yeah." Sam breathed.

"Did you get him out?" Dean questioned.

"Only Bobby," Sam replied.

"What?" Dean frowned. "I mean, that's fantastic about Bobby."

"Dean, look—Benny, uh… He got us out. A bunch of vamps showed, and he used himself as bait." Sam explained. "I get the feeling that even if that didn't happen, he didn't want to come back, you know? I'm sorry."

Dean blinked back tears. "You're probably right. So, uh… Bobby—how—how'd he hold up down there?"

"He's good, all things considered. Ornery as hell, of course." Sam chuckled.

"As he should be. Let's put that old man where he belongs." Angela murmured.

"Yeah." Sam pulled up his jacket sleeve, knife in hand. "Solvo haec phantasmata in terram et inde ad olympum."

Sam held his arm up and the light rose up into the sky. Suddenly, it turned into a cloudy mix of red and black.

"What the hell?" Angela frowned.

"Hello, boys. Angela." Crowley greeted. "Bobby Singer," he looked up. "I'd know you anywhere."

"Let him go, Crowley," Dean demanded. "He doesn't belong in Hell."

"He does if I say he does." Crowley snarled. "He's inflicted untold damage on my kind. From where I sit, actually, Hell's too good for him."

Sam, Dean, and Angela rushed towards Crowley, who just used his power to keep them in place.

"Really?" Crowley sighed. He looked up at Bobby's cloud as it started to come back down to Earth. "What?" he frowned. He turned around to see Naomi. "Oh, come on!"

"Let me see if I've interpreted the situation correctly." Naomi started. "The Winchesters have freed an innocent from Hell, to which you are wrongfully trying to return it."

"Siding with them, Naomi?" Crowley raised his brows. "You don't know these three. Before they're done, we'll both be locked away."

"I'm just hoping they lock you away, dear." She smiled. "The rest I'll figure out."

"Bureaucrat." Crowley scoffed. "You're fighting outside your weight class."

"Don't call me a bureaucrat." Naomi glared, causing him to disappear in a flash of lightly.

Dean, Sam, and Angela were freed from Crowley's power. Naomi raised her hand and Bobby's soul shot up into the sky.

"I told you, you could trust me." Naomi smiled at Dean and Angela before disappearing.

"What the hell was that about?" Sam asked.

"We'll tell you later, babe. Let's get this trial done."

Sam nodded and took the piece of paper out of his pocket. "Kah-nuh-ahm-dar." He chanted. Sam grabbed his right hand and fell to his knees in agony, groaning in pain.

"Sam?" Dean frowned.

"Sammy?" Angela knelt down next to him. "Sammy, talk to us! Sam!"

"It's okay! It's okay!" he assured, panting. "It's okay. I'm fine. It's done. It's done."

Angela and Dean looked at each other, worried expressions evident on their faces.

~/~\~

"You okay?" Dean asked Sam as they drove.

"Yeah, I'll live." He muttered.

"I buried Benny…" Dean replied. "But I didn't burn his bones. After he said he'd try to get you out of there, it just didn't seem right. I know you guys got no use for him, but—

"No, Dean… We were wrong to judge him so harshly." Angela replied softly. "He's different from what Sam and I thought. So, go ahead and leave the door open if you want."

"Alright." Dean nodded. "Well, let's go check in with Prophet boy and see where he stashed that tablet."

~/~\~

"Kevin? It's us." Dean called out as they walked into the boat.

The three hunters frowned when they noticed that it was dark inside. They each turned on their flashlights.

"Kevin!" Dean yelled into the empty room.

"Kevin?" Sam asked as he looked around.

"He's gone." Angela sighed. "He took all our stuff, his notes…"

"I saw this coming," Dean muttered. "Finally freaked. Little geek made a run for it."

"Yeah, but where?" Sam asked.


	40. Pac-Man Fever Part 1

Angela was in the library, sitting at the table. Grace was next to her in her highchair. Dean walked in, placing a bag of groceries on a nearby chair and a six-pack of beer on the table.

"Look, Gracie, Uncle Dean's home!" Angela cooed, causing Grace to smile.

"Hi munchkin," Dean grinned as he opened a beer and sat down next to Angela.

Sam walked into the library, looking absolutely exhausted. Dean looked up and sighed.

"Man, I'm telling you, give me five minutes with some clippers, and…"

"Oh, shut up," Sam muttered. "Uh, what time did I lay down?"

"You fell asleep around noon. Yesterday." Angela replied.

Dean grabbed another beer and threw it in Sam's direction. Sam failed to react and the beer shattered on the floor.

Sam looked down. "I'm sorry, I, uh…"

"That's why we can't have nice things, Sam." Dean retorted.

"Baby, are you okay?" Angela asked concernedly as Sam stumbled.

"Yeah, I'm, I'm fine, I just…" he leaned on the table and rubbed his face. "Uh, you know, I'm gonna get dressed. We should go find Kevin."

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, easy, easy sleeping beauty." Dean stopped him. "Look, man, Angie and I have hacked into every security camera around Garth's houseboat, Kevin's hometown, where Mrs. Tran lived…"

"And?"

"Well, nothing so far," Angela admitted.

"We have to find him," Sam stressed.

"We know." Dean agreed. "But Garth is out looking for him, we got a hunter APB out on Kevin, we will do what we can from here while you get better."

"I'm fine," Sam repeated. "I can still go out there, I can still hunt."

"Really?" Dean raised his brows.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked into the shooting range. Angela held the baby monitor as Dean loaded one of his guns.

"This is stupid," Sam grumbled.

Dean fired the gun twice, hitting one of the targets in the chest both times. "Alright. You hit that target, we'll talk about you getting back out there."

"No problem," Sam replied.

Sam aimed, wavering. He used his other hand to steady the gun, but still missed the target entirely on both shots he fired.

"Okay, look, babe, this second trial hit you a lot harder than that first one." Angela sighed. "I don't know whether it was just more intense or what."

"Felt the same," Sam mumbled. "Till the next day."

"So, we're gonna sit tight." Angela continued, kissing his cheek. "Keep an eye out until you get better."

~/~\~

Sam looked over at his computer when a _'You Have Mail'_ notification popped up. "It's from Charlie." He commented. "In the neighborhood, found you guys a case." He read aloud, brows furrowing. "Found a case?"

"In the neighborhood?" Dean frowned. "How the hell does she know where we are?"

"Uh, well, she doesn't. Not exactly, at least." Sam replied. "It says she tracked our cells to a twenty-mile-radius, then the signal went out."

"Huh," Angela muttered. "This place must be in some kinda, like, Bermuda Triangle."

"What, are you saying we can make and receive phone calls from here and nobody can track us?" Dean asked. "Man I love this place."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela leaned against the trunk of the Impala. Angela held Grace as Charlie pulled up in her bright yellow car.

"Your Highness!" Dean greeted as Charlie walked over.

"What's up, bitches?" Charlie grinned. Her eyes widened when she saw Grace. "Oh my God, she's more adorable in person!"

Angela chuckled and bounced Grace a bit. "Look, Gracie, it's your Aunt Charlie!"

Charlie gave a little wave and Grace cooed happily. Charlie hugged Dean, then Angela, then Sam. Sam leaned back heavily onto the Impala immediately afterward and grunted.

"You okay, Sam?" Charlie frowned.

"Yeah, no, I'm, I'm good, yeah." He lied. "What're you doing in Kansas?"

"Uh… a comic convention. In Topeka." She replied.

"In the middle of the week?" Angela asked.

"Girl's gotta get her collectibles." Charlie shrugged. "So, are you gonna invite me into your dungeon, or do I gotta answer your 'questions three' first?"

"Allow us—let us introduce you to the Men of Letters." Sam smiled.

~/~\~

"Holy awesome," Charlie muttered. "Too bad they got wiped out, though that is what they get for the sexist name."

"Well, anyway, that's our skinny." Sam shrugged. "How about you?"

"Um, made a deal with the yesteryear weirdos, we're gonna team up to stomp the shadow orcs." She explained. "You guys are still coming to the mid-year jubilee, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it." Dean smiled.

"So, what about this case you brought us?" Angela changed the subject.

"When I was in Topeka, I saw this pop up over the wire," Charlie replied as she took out her tablet. "Tom Blake, a checkout clerk in Salina, who went missing on his way home from work. He was found dead yesterday, his insides liquefied. Locals have no idea what happened, they tried to bury the report so people wouldn't freak, but I flagged it." She explained. "I have eliminated the following things that go bump in the night…"

"Wait a second," Sam cut in. "When did you become such an expert?"

"Well, after you guys left, I dug into all things monsters. I'm a wee bit obsessive. If 'wee bit' means completely." Charlie explained. "I also found this series of books, by a Carver Edlund?" she added, causing the three hunters to exchange awkward looks. "Did those books really happen?"

"Yeah," Angela replied uncomfortably.

"Wow. That is some meta madness." Charlie muttered. "Thanks for saving the world and stuff."

"We need to find every single copy of those books and burn them before Grace learns how to read." Sam huffed.

"They're online now, so good luck with that," Charlie replied.

"Awesome," Dean muttered sarcastically as he got up. "Well, you guys deal with that, I will go see if there's anything to this, uh, case of yours."

"I'm coming with you," Sam replied.

He stood up as well, but staggered, nearly falling over. Charlie jumped from her seat and grabbed his arm.

"Whoa," she frowned. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes." He lied.

"No." Angela shook her head. "You're staying here."

"Baby—

"Nope." Angela cut him off firmly. "I don't want to hear it. You're sick, and you're going to rest, Sam."

"Dude, she's getting good at that mom voice," Dean muttered.

Charlie looked up at Dean. "I'll go with you."

"No disrespect, okay, but there's a big difference between reading about hunting and actually hunting."

"I'm coming with," Charlie replied firmly.

~/~\~

Dean and Charlie stood in the shooting range. Dean loaded the gun and Charlie just gave him an exasperated look.

"For serious?" she raised her brows.

"Okay, now," Dean started. "If you can hit that target then we can talk about you actually—

Charlie grabbed the gun and fired twice—both perfect headshots. Dean raised his brows.

"What?" Charlie shrugged.

"Alright, if you're gonna do the ride-along, then, uh… you gotta lose the novelty t-shirts," Dean replied.

Charlie made a face. "Son of a pantsuit."

~/~\~

'Walking on Sunshine' was blasting from Charlie's phone as she tried on various outfits, Dean shook his head at all them. Eventually, he took her phone and shut off the music.

"Montage!" Charlie exclaimed, disappointed.

Dean glared at her and Charlie went off to try on another outfit, which finally got Dean's approval.

"Trials?" Charlie questioned. "That's never good."

"Yeah, and our prophet's in the wind." Dean sighed.

"What about, uh, Castiel?" Charlie asked curiously. "He seems helpful, and dreamy."

"He's MIA, with a tablet of his own, doing God knows what," Dean replied. "I mean, to be honest, this whole thing is… I mean, Sam's a tough son of a bitch, but… Cas is saying that these trials are messing with him in ways that even he can't heal."

"If it's any consolation, having read your history, there is pretty much nothing the Winchesters can't do if they work together."

"Thanks," Dean replied.

Charlie pursed her lips. "Must be nice, having a brother and a sister-in-law, people to always watch your back."

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "No brothers or sisters?"

"Actually, I have two," Charlie replied. "Their names are XBOX and PS3."

"Not getting any reception," Dean muttered. "Can I use your phone?"

"Um, sure." Charlie shrugged.

Dean took her phone and dialed.

 _"Yeah?"_ Sam's voice rang through.

"Hey, it's me." Dean greeted. "You okay."

Sam sighed, annoyed. _"Yes, Dean. I'm still fine. Look, I can hunt, I—_

"Well, then let the healing continue." Dean interrupted. "I'll check in with you later."

~/~\~

Sam was in the shooting gallery and hung up as he grabbed the gun. He fired another two shots, not quite hitting the target.

"Close enough." He shrugged.

~/~\~

Dean knocked on the door to Dr. Jennifer O'Brien's office.

"Come in," she said.

Dean and Charlie walked into the office. Dean took out his badge while Charlie fumbled with hers and ended up holding it upside-down. Dean glanced over and Charlie noticed her mistake, putting the badge away.

"Hi, uh, Special Agent Hicks." Dean greeted. "This is my partner Special Agent Ripley. We're here about the body with the creamy filling."

"Ah, right." Jennifer nodded. "I didn't think you guys would have any interest in that."

"FBI, ma'am, we never leave a stone unturned," Dean replied. "Mind if we take a peek?"

"Of course not. I just need your signed chain of custody request and it's all yours."

Dean frowned. "Sorry, the what?"

"Chain of custody request? From your supervisor to mine?"

"Right, uh, you know what." Dean held out a business card. "You wanna call my supervisor, I'm sure he can give you the override or whatever."

Jennifer pursed her lips. "Yeah, I'm sorry. Unless he can give me the form, I can't give you access to the body."

"But… FBI." Charlie cut in weakly.

"I understand, dear. But paperwork is paperwork."

"Of course. Jennifer—uh, it is Jennifer?" Dean smiled charmingly.

"Yeah." She smiled.

"Uh, we have been on the road all day, and this is strictly routine, dot the I, cross the T kind of thing," Dean explained. "If you could do us a solid…?"

"Come back with the signed form, I'd be happy to do you a solid. Until then…"

~/~\~

Charlie and Dean walked out of the hospital.

"That never happened in the books." She commented.

"Wanna tell me what happened back there, Boo Radley?" Dean asked.

"I'm sorry, I froze." She sighed. "I couldn't Cntrl-Alt-Delete my way out. Real-life roleplaying is hard!"

"It's okay." He assured. "We'll come back later when Doris Do-Right isn't here anymore."

"Oh, perfect," Charlie muttered. "Breaking and entering."

"No different than hacking."

"Beg to differ." Charlie scoffed. "One I've been doing since I was a teenager, the other I've done once, with you three walking me through it, and I had my arm broken in the process."

Dean's brows furrowed. "What did you have when you were a teenager?"

"Uh, NORAD."

"Yeah, whatever you say, Wargames." Dean scoffed. "Why don't we go grab some grub while we wait."

~/~\~

Angela stood across from Sam in the library with her arms folded across her chest. Sam had a bag packed.

"You're not going," Angela said firmly.

"Angie, I have to get back out there." He sighed heavily.

"No, you should be resting. You're sick." She argued. "This isn't the damn common cold, Sam!"

"Look, I'm fine!" Sam assured. "I swear, Angie."

"I'm not exactly inclined to believe you." Angela huffed. "But, if you're going to be stubborn, then I'm coming with you."

Sam's brows furrowed. "What? Angie—

"Nope." She cut him off. "I'm coming with you, or you're not going. End of story."

~/~\~

Later that night, Dean and Charlie pulled up to the crime scene in the Impala.

"Maybe you should go first," Charlie suggested.

"Nuh-uh. Back on the horse, kiddo, come on." Dean replied.

They exited the car and walked over to one of the police officers.

"Hey there." Charlie greeted, holding out her badge. "I am Special Agent Ripley, this is my partner—

"Save it." The police officer interrupted. "Your other agents are over there."

Charlie and Dean exchanged a confused glance, then walked over to Sam and Angela. Angela held Grace, who was sleeping.

"What took you guys so long?" Sam questioned.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Dean asked. "Angie, he's supposed to be resting—

"He wouldn't listen to reason." Angela rolled her eyes.

"We're working the case, same as you," Sam added, pointing in the direction of the body. "Jake Hill, librarian. Went missing yesterday, no relation to the other vic. Coroner already swooped in and scooped up what was left of him."

"Yeah, we met her," Dean muttered. "Bit of a stickler. Well, if there's not a body, there's nothing else to see here, so why don't you head on home?"

"That's a great idea." Angela agreed. "Let's go, Sam."

Sam rolled his eyes. "We still have to talk to the witnesses."

"Well, we can handle that." Dean shrugged. "Charlie, why don't you go talk to the witnesses?"

"But I don't want to miss the moment!" she complained.

"Charlie," Dean replied firmly.

Charlie huffed and walked off to where the boys were sitting.

"Look, man," Dean sighed. "I know you're frustrated, but you're also sick."

"I'm not leaving, Dean," Sam replied.

"I know you wanna help, I do, but—

"I need to be out here," Sam interjected. "Play through the pain, right?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Come on man, don't quote me to me."

Charlie walked back over to the three hunters. "So, the boys said they noticed something on the body's arm before it covered them in years of future therapy. Said it looked like a blue handprint."

"Sounds like something you should read about. In a book. At home." Dean gave Sam a pointed look.

"I'm not leaving until we find out whatever is doing this." Sam retorted.

"Whatever," Dean replied, stalking off.

"Does this mean we don't have to break into the coroner's office anymore?" Charlie asked hopefully.

"That's a good idea," Sam muttered.

Charlie frowned when she heard the Impala driving off. "Is he leaving? He's leaving!"

"That's alright. We stole your car." Sam replied. "I think I know where he's going. Come on."

"Cool." Charlie nodded. "Wait, you stole my car?"

~/~\~

Dean walked into the morgue. Sam, Angela, and Charlie were already waiting there.

"What took you so long?" Sam questioned.

"I stopped for gas." Dean shrugged.

"Mm." Sam hummed.

"Shut up. Body's in here." Dean replied.

Suddenly, the headlights of a car pulling up outside shone through the window.

"The hell?" Angela frowned.

Charlie suddenly ran off.

"Charlie." Dean frowned. "Charlie!"

She disappeared around the corner for a moment, then reappeared. "It's the coroner. I got this."

The three hunters walked into the morgue while Charlie entered the coroner's office.

~/~\~

Dean opened one of the chambers only to find that the body was gone. "What the hell? It's empty."

Sam flipped through the paperwork. "Uh… they burned the bodies."

"Already?" Angela frowned.

"Yeah, they think it's some kinda like, uh, outbreak scenario. Even got the CDC to sign off on it."

"These folks run a tight ship." Dean sighed. "So, does this mean we need to take Silkwood showers now, or is this still a case?"

"Yeah, something about that mark the kid saw rings a bell." Sam snapped a picture of the documents. "Probably have to check the lore, or maybe Dad's journal."

"Hurry up." Dean pressed.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Charlie sat at the table in the library. Angela had Grace on her lap, bottle feeding her.

"Leviathan," Sam suggested.

Charlie looked at her tablet. "No, they consume their prey."

"Well, maybe the vics were Leviathan." He argued.

Charlie shook her head. "No black goo on either scene in the coroner reports."

"Dragons, they uh—

"No signs of burns on the vic."

Sam glared at the tablet. "I hate that thing." He grumbled before looking at Angela. "I want one."

"Maybe for Christmas, babe." Angela kissed his cheek sweetly.

"Wait a second," Dean interjected. "Djinn."

Charlie looked confused. "Djinn vics don't get liquefied."

"No, no, no, not regular Djinn. According to this, there's a bastard offshoot." Dean corrected. "Uh, their eyes light up blue, they pass as humans, all that regular jazz, except these leave their victims with jelly-like insides, and supposedly, when they poison their victims, they leave behind a blue handprint."

"I hate that thing." Charlie huffed. "And I want one."

"So, these things die like regular Djinn?" Angela asked.

"Silver blade dipped in lamb's blood, yeah." Dean nodded. "And now we just gotta find the asshat."

"Alright, well, breakthrough means snack time to me, and I wanna just stretch my legs." Charlie stood up. "I will pick us up some grub, and unlike you, Sam, I will not forget the pie." She smiled before walking off.

"She seems a little off to you guys?" Dean asked.

"Since the second she got here." Angela nodded.


	41. Pac-Man Fever Part 2

Sam paced, holding his phone to his ear. "Charlie, it's Sam. Um, again. Call us. Okay?" he added before he hung up and started coughing.

Angela walked into the library, her arms folded across her chest.

"Hey." Sam greeted.

"You should be resting." She replied.

Sam sighed heavily. "Babe—

"Don't 'babe' me." Angela huffed. "Any word from Charlie?"

"Uh, no," Sam replied. "And there was no comic convention in Topeka. I don't know why… I mean, why would she lie to us?"

"One way to find out." She shrugged, grabbing Dean's phone off the table.

"What are you doing?"

"Knowing Dean, he probably turned on her GPS…" Angela muttered. "Alright, I'll grab Dean. Why don't you stay here and rest and look after Gracie? Dean just put her down for a nap."

~/~\~

Dean and Angela stood outside of Charlie's motel room.

"Charlie!" Angela called. "Hey, Charlie, you in there?"

She opened the door and walked in, Dean following right behind her.

"Dean."

They quickly surveyed the room but found it empty. Angela spotted a box of fake IDs.

"What the hell?" she muttered, brows furrowed.

"What the hell is this place?" Dean asked.

"Whatever it is, it belongs to Charlie." She replied as she flipped through the IDs. "Or some variation of her."

"Who the hell is she, Jason Bourne?" Dean scoffed. "Okay, so we got no forced entry, so either it was somebody that she knew, or…"

"Djinn," Angela suggested.

Dean picked up Charlie's phone. "Here's all our missed calls. You got anything on her laptop."

"Yeah," Angela nodded. "Um, she's been making donations through her aliases to Shawnee County General here in Topeka."

Dean's brows furrowed. "What, a charity?"

"A patient." She corrected. "Gertrude Middleton."

"We need answers." Dean pursed his lips. "I'll take Gertrude, you keep Djinn-digging."

~/~\~

Gertrude Middleton was lying in a hospital bed, comatose and on life support.

"Gertrude's been in a persistent vegetative state for 16 years." The nurse explained. "About a year ago her condition got worse. The ventilator is the only thing keeping her alive."

"How did this happen?" Dean questioned.

"She and her husband were hit by a drunk driver. He didn't make it." She replied sadly. "They were on their way to pick up their daughter from a sleepover."

"A daughter." Dean murmured.

"She was 12. She got into trouble after her parents' accident." The nurse explained. "Nobody's heard from her since. Folks have been donating to cover Gertrude's care over the years. It's a sweet gesture, but the truth is, she's gone."

"She ever get any visitors?"

"A couple nurses said they thought they saw someone in here reading to her, but nobody's ever officially signed in to visit her. She's all alone." The nurse sighed. "If you'll excuse me, I have to make my rounds."

"Thank you," Dean replied as the nurse left. He walked over to Gertrude. "You've got one hell of a daughter, Mrs. Middleton. I promise you I will find her."

~/~\~

Dean and Angela walked into the bunker. Sam sat at the table in the library holding Grace. She grasped Sam's flannel tightly with one of her tiny hands.

"Hey, babe." Angela greeted as she walked over to Sam, kissing his temple sweetly. "How're you feeling?"

"Fine," Sam assured. "What'd you guys find?"

"Charlie's mom is in a comatose state." Dean sighed heavily. "She has been for years."

"So, no chance of a recovery, huh." Sam murmured.

"No." Dean shook his head. "No, Gertrude seemed like a cool mom, too. Kind, strong, taken from her family way too young—remind you of anybody?"

"Also, a John Doe from nine years ago. The original coroner wanted the body sent to the CDC, but the coroner's new assistant 'accidentally' ordered the body to be burned." Angela explained.

"New assistant?" Sam raised his brows.

"Jennifer O'Brien." Angela sighed.

"Coroner's a hell of a cover for hiding kills," Dean muttered.

~/~\~

Sam typed something on his laptop with his free hand. "Look at this. The CDC never heard from Jennifer this time either. She faked the reports, burned the bodies to cover her tracks."

"So, why does she get sloppy again after nine years, start leaving the bodies where they can be found?" Angela asked, confused.

"Well, let's go ask her," Sam suggested. "According to this, she owns two pieces of property in town, one two-bedroom house about 10 minutes from here, and an abandoned shipping warehouse."

"Course she does." Dean scoffed.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked into the abandoned warehouse. Angela carried Grace in a papoose carrier. They made their way to the area where Charlie was being held but Jennifer was nowhere to be seen. Dean and Angela moved over to Charlie.

"Charlie." Dean frowned.

"Charlie! Hey!" Angela shook her. "Hey. Charlie."

Meanwhile, Sam explored the rest of the warehouse. Suddenly, Jennifer crept up behind him. Sam attempted to attack her, but she easily overpowered him. She started rolling up her sleeve and her eyes and tattoos started to glow as she approached Sam.

Suddenly, the blue light in her eyes faded and she dropped the floor, revealing Dean and Angela behind her. Dean had stabbed her in the back with the silver blade.

"You okay, babe?" Angela asked.

"Where's Charlie?" Sam questioned.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela ran up to Charlie. Sam injected her with a syringe filled with blue liquid, but nothing happened.

Dean's brows furrowed in confusion. "What the hell's going on?"

"I don't know." Sam frowned. "Different Djinn, maybe she needs a different antidote?"

"Charlie?" Angela asked as she touched her forehead. "She's burning up, guys, we're not letting her turn to jello."

"Okay, okay, uh, Djinn poison puts your brain in something like a feedback loop while your blood boils, right?" Sam noted.

"Right." Dean and Angela replied.

"Um, if the antidote didn't break the loop, then maybe we can find a way to break it from the inside," Sam explained. "I mean, if the Djinn take you to your happy place, your happy place is like a dream—

"African dream root." The three hunters said simultaneously.

~/~\~

Sam unscrewed a jar of African dream root. Dean tipped in a vial of ginger and Angela pulled out one of Charlie's hairs and added it to the jar.

"Alright, let's do this," Dean muttered, drinking the contents of the jar. "Ugh. Okay. Alright, I'm gonna need to go to sleep fast, so punch me." He instructed, causing Sam to give him a look. "Look, man, I know you don't want to, okay—

Before Dean could finish his sentence, Sam punched him, causing him to stagger backward a little. Sam shook his hand in pain.

"Well, you're a little off your game there," Dean teased. "'Cause I was—that was pretty-"

Sam punched Dean again and he slumped into the unoccupied chair, unconscious.

~/~\~

Suddenly, Dean woke up in a 1950s military hospital wearing a military uniform. He picked up a nearby newspaper and stood up, venturing out of the room. Dean stopped at an elevator and tried to pry it open as he was approached by two growling vampires.

The elevator opened, revealing Charlie dressed in combat gear carrying a shotgun. Dean stepped out of the way and Charlie exited the elevator, shooting both vampires.

"Come with me if you want to live." She instructed Dean. "I've always wanted to say that. What're you doing in my dream?"

"You were attacked by a Djinn. The coroner, Jennifer, remember?" Dean reminded. "Djinn usually send you to your, uh, happy place—uh, no judgment, but, you got a really strange sense of happy, kiddo."

"Wait, wait, wait, no, no, no." Charlie shook her head. "Jennifer said that her kind feeds off fear. This isn't my happy place. It's a recurring nightmare of mine."

Dean's brows furrowed. "What is this?"

"It's a video game." She sighed.

"Wait a second," Dean frowned, even more confused. "You're telling me that this whole thing is a video game?"

"It was called the Red Scare. A first-person-shooter against super-soldier vampires." Charlie explained. "I copied it off a game company's server before it was finished, reprogrammed it to reflect my flamingly liberal politics, and then I released it. For free. Then they tracked me down and had me arrested. I was twelve."

"And you've been on the run ever since," Dean noted.

~/~\~

Sam coughed, checked for blood, then glanced over at Charlie and Dean.

"You're not okay." Angela murmured.

Sam looked at Angela, who had a worried expression on her face. "I'm good, Angie, really."

Suddenly, a clanging sound could be heard in the distance.

"Stay behind me," Sam instructed firmly.

~/~\~

"So, how do we get out of here?" Charlie asked.

"I don't know." Dean sighed. "We gave you the Djinn antidote, it didn't take. And I killed the Djinn."

Charlie raised her brows. "Both of them?"

~/~\~

Sam and Angela looked around the warehouse. Sam sighed heavily. Suddenly, a younger Djinn, Jennifer's son, stepped out from behind a corner. Sam stood in front of Angela protectively.

"You killed my mom." The boy glared as he approached Sam, his eyes glowing blue.

~/~\~

Dean and Charlie walked down one of the corridors.

"We gotta get back and help Sammy and Angie," Dean commented. "Tell me about this game, maybe if we can win, we—

Several more vampires started to approach Dean and Charlie. They both took out all the vampires.

"Look, I don't know how long I've been out, but I've been through this level a thousand times already," Charlie replied.

"What?!" Dean frowned.

"Every time I beat the level and save the patients, I get reset back to the beginning, only there's less weapons and the vampires are faster." She explained. "It's an infinite loop. Like, Pac-Man without level 256."

"Level what?" Dean's brows furrowed.

"Nothing." Charlie shook her head.

"Wait, what patients?"

~/~\~

Dean and Charlie locked themselves inside the patients' room. Dean slid back the curtain around one of the beds to reveal Gertrude.

"Charlie?" Dean called. "I know who this is."

Charlie walked over to have a look. "What are you talking about?"

"When you went missing, me and Angie found your little crash pad," Dean replied. "We saw the payments that you make for her. So, I went and visited your mom, looking for you."

"She's why I'm in Kansas," Charlie admitted. "I sneak into the hospital whenever I can, and I just… I read to her. She used to read me to sleep at night when I was a kid. Sh—she'd read me _The Hobbit."_ She blinked back tears. "She's the reason I love the stuff I love."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Dean replied sincerely.

Charlie looked insulted. "She's not gone." She muttered, yanking the curtains closed.

Dean opened another curtain and frowned. "Sam?"

Charlie walked over and looked up at Dean. "Is this my nightmare or yours?"

Suddenly, the vampires started to break down the doors to the patients' room.

~/~\~

Sam was thrown to the ground by the Djinn but crawled back up.

"So, it wasn't your mom who messed up, it was you," Sam noted.

"Shut up!" the boy yelled, punching Sam again. "I just came of age, I had to feed. I screwed up."

Angela ran and grabbed the dropped silver blade as the Djinn looked over to Jennifer's body.

"Mom knew how to cover her tracks." He murmured. "She always told me not to play with my food."

Angela came up behind the Djinn and stabbed him as he turned around. "Yeah, well, you should have listened to your mom."

The Djinn dropped to the floor, the blue light in his eyes fading. Angela adjusted the papoose carrier and helped Sam up.

~/~\~

"This is it, the boss battle," Charlie commented. "Come on, we gotta save the patients."

"Wait, wait, wait." Dean stopped her. "You said that we're stuck in a loop, right? But out there in the real world, you're dying. And I might be too. We gotta find a way to break this loop."

"Okay." She nodded. "How?"

"I think the only way to stop this is to… not play."

"What?!" Charlie exclaimed. "No, no. We gotta save them. Nut up, Winchester."

A vampire punched through the door and Dean shot him.

"See?" Charlie raised her brows. "You can't stop either."

"Listen to me," Dean started firmly. "This poison, it's designed to put your mind into an endless cycle, while your insides turn to mush, okay, and its fuel is fear. Now call me crazy, but I think the only way to break the cycle is to let go of the fear and stop playing the game."

"You don't know that." She replied as she shot another vampire.

"I know that your fear is creating all of this. You're not afraid of those super-soldier vamps out there, you're not afraid of the game, and you're not afraid of what it did to you." Dean replied. "Hey! Look at me. You're afraid of losing her. Charlie, she's already gone."

"No." Charlie shook her head. "No, you don't understand! I was at a sleepover, and I got scared. So…" her voice cracked. "I called my parents to come get me. They should never have been driving that night!"

"It wasn't your fault," Dean assured gently.

"I just wanna tell her that I'm sorry and that I love her." Charlie cried. "And just have her hear it again. I just need her to hear that one more time. But she can't. She can't."

"I know. Believe me, I know." Dean murmured. "But you gotta let it go. Game over, kiddo."

Charlie took aim at the vampires near the door again, hesitated, then dropped the shotgun. Suddenly, the vampires disappeared. Dean walked over and opened what was left of the door; the hallway was empty. Charlie walked over to her mom's bed and slid open the curtain. The bed was empty as well.

"Mom?"

~/~\~

Dean started to wake up and rubbed his eyes.

"Dean? Dean." Sam rushed over to him.

"Hey. Hey, c'mere. You okay? What happened?" Angela asked as she and Sam helped Dean out of the chair. "What happened?"

"I'm okay," Dean mumbled, looking over at Charlie. "Charlie?"

Charlie slowly woke up, looked over at Dean, and let out a tearful gasp.

"I'm sorry," Dean said sincerely. "I had to."

Charlie started sobbing again as Dean pulled her into a tight hug.

~/~\~

Charlie, Angela, Sam, and Dean all walked out of the bunker. Grace was currently down for a nap. Sam handed Charlie her bag.

"So… thanks for saving our bacon." Charlie smiled at Sam and Angela.

"Any time, your Highness," Sam replied.

"You know you're gonna be okay, right? Those books portray you as like, one tough customer." Charlie replied. "If anyone can get through the trials, Sam, it's you."

"Thanks," Sam replied sincerely.

"You know, you really should come back and dig through our archives," Angela noted. "We need more Women of Letters around here."

"I like the sound of that." Charlie smiled, hugging Angela. "I expect more pictures of my niece." She gave a pointed look to Sam and Angela.

"Of course." Sam smiled, hugging Charlie tightly.

After Sam and Charlie broke the hug, Angela took Sam's hand in hers and they retreated to the bunker.

"Thanks for stopping by, Charlie." Dean smiled softly. "Always wanted to get Tron'ed. What's next for you?"

"Gonna go by the hospital." She admitted. "Gotta let go, right? What about you, you're gonna let it go?"

"Never," Dean replied.

Charlie chuckled softly. "I love you."

"I know," Dean replied, pulling her into another hug. He pressed a brotherly kiss to her temple.

Charlie pulled away from the hug and waved as she walked to her car.

~/~\~

Dean walked into the bunker. Sam and Angela sat at a table in the library.

"Okay," Sam started. "Look, you and Angie were right, I-I should've laid low, I—I know, I should've hung back, but I'm glad I was able to—

Dean pulled him into a hug. "What d'you say we find our prophet?"

Dean pulled away and walked out of the room, leaving both Sam and Angela slightly bewildered.


	42. The Great Escapist Part 1

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Angela walked over to the table that Sam was sitting at, carrying a tray of food. Sam was huddled underneath a blanket, going over some documents.

"Alright," she started. "Here we go. Robert Morgan's famous cure-all kitchen sink stew. There you go." She set the tray down on the table. "Enough cayenne pepper in there to burn your lips off, just like my Dad used to make. Can't tell you how many times he made this when I was sick."

Sam just looked at the tray and pushed it away. Angela folded her arms across her chest.

"When was the last time you ate?" she questioned.

"I—I don't…"

"Days, Sam. It's been _three days."_ She interrupted as she pulled out a thermometer.

Sam raised his brows a bit. "When'd you get that?"

"Shortly after Gracie was born," Angela replied. "Here."

Sam threw the blanket aside and stood up, stumbling. "Enough, Angie. _Please."_

"The bloody handkerchiefs, the fever, the shaky legs… this is _not_ good." She replied firmly.

"Well, I'm not good!" Sam replied. "And I'm not going to be good until we can start moving again. Until I can start the third trial."

"Trial?" Angela repeated. "Honey, I wouldn't let you start a _moped_. We're on the rails with this thing, okay, and the only way out of it is through it, believe me, I know. And you know how bad I wanna slam the door on all those sons of bitches. But you have to let me and Dean take care of you, baby. You have to let us help you get your strength back."

Sam sighed heavily. "This isn't a cold. Or a fever, or whatever it is you're supposed to feed. This is part of it all. Those first two trials… they're not just things I did. They're doing something to me. They're changing me, baby."

Before Angela could say anything else, Dean walked in carrying Grace.

"Hey, I got an email from Kevin." He commented.

"Finally." Sam sighed.

Dean opened Kevin's message on the laptop and clicked the link.

 _"Sam, Dean, Angela,"_ Kevin's voice rang through the speakers. _"I've set up this message with some software on a remote server so it'd send itself to you if I didn't reset it with a command once a week. And there's only one reason why I wouldn't,"_ he explained. _"Which means if you're watching this, then I… then I—I'm dead. I'm dead, you bastards! So screw you, screw God and everybody in between!"_ he yelled. _"Crowley must've gotten to me. And the one thing I know is that I won't break this time. Not sure how I know, but... but I do. I've been uploading all my notes, the translations, I'm sending you the links so you can get all of it. You guys are gonna have to try and figure out the rest. I'm sorry."_ Kevin's voice cracked. _"I know it was my job, but I—but I couldn't… I'm sorry."_

When the message ended, Dean angrily swept a stack of books off the table, causing Grace to start crying.

"Dammit!" he yelled.

~/~\~

Sam was printing out Kevin's notes while Dean was on the phone. Angela was bottle feeding Grace.

"Yeah, I know you haven't seen him, Keel, nobody has." Dean sighed. "Alright, well, if you talk to Garth, well, just have him call in. Yeah." He added before hanging up.

"Garth still MIA?" Angela asked.

"Yeah."

"How about the other prophets in line?" Sam questioned. "I mean if Kevin is, uh… is dead, then won't one of them be activated?"

"Nothing, no, not a peep." Dean pursed his lips. "Here we are. No lead, no tablet, no squat."

"Well, I mean, we got all this." Sam picked up a stack of notes.

"We should've moved him here." Dean sighed heavily.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela were going over Kevin's notes in the library.

"Hmm." Sam hummed as he looked at another page. "There it is again, every time."

"Hmm?" Dean raised his brows.

"This symbol?" Sam pointed. "I know it. Now, Kevin has it down as, as sort of like a signature, for the Scribe of God. It appears every time Metatron makes one of his, uh, like, editor's notes."

Both Dean and Angela looked confused.

"Okay…?" Dean frowned.

"But I think I've seen it before," Sam added. "I mean, it was a long time ago, it was one of my, uh, humanities courses at Stanford."

"They taught Word of God at Stanford?" Angela asked.

"No, uh, it was an overview of Native American art—I think it's a petroglyph."

"A petro-what -now?" Dean questioned.

Sam slammed a book onto the table and pointed to the symbol. "This one belonged to a tiny tribe in Colorado, more of a—a clan, really. It says here they held on to their scrap of mountains when all the other tribes fell to the white men." He explained. "So this glyph was a territorial marker—closest translation: 'messenger of God.'" He added. "Messenger of God. Messenger of God—guys, we have to go there!"

"On that hunch?" Angela raised a brow. "Honey, you can barely function."

"I'm only gonna get worse." Sam shrugged. "I mean, until we get back to the real job, until we find the third trial—we're out of prophets! We're not gonna figure out what Kevin couldn't! I'd say we go to this messenger of God who wrote it in the first place!"

Dean ran a hand over his face. "And you think this Metatron is hiding out in the mountains with a bunch of Indians?"

"Yeah! Yeah, I do." Sam nodded. "You're not—you're not really supposed to say 'Indians,' it's… we should go." Sam walked off.

Dean stood there, bewildered and Angela looked down at Grace.

"Daddy is delirious." Angela cooed.

~/~\~

_Route 34, Colorado_

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked into the _Two Rivers Hotel._

"Nice place," Dean muttered.

They walked up to the desk and Dean rang the bell. The hotel manager walked over.

"Morning." Dean greeted. "Hi. Uh, we'd like a room?" he asked, getting no response. "Here, please."

Sam wandered off while Dean and Angela hung back at the desk. Sam's vision started to blur and he heard some sort of ringing noise.

"Did you guys hear that?" Sam asked.

"Hear what, baby?" Angela asked.

The manager eyed Sam a bit and Dean shrugged.

"He has the flu."

~/~\~

Sam was lying on one of the motel beds, drinking from a glass of water. Angela sat next to him, cross-legged with Grace in her lap. Dean walked into the room.

"Regular tourist mecca we got here. We're the only guests in this whole place." He commented. "Last entry in the registry was in '06."

Angela ran her fingers through Sam's hair, looking down at him worriedly.

"Hey, Dean, you remember when uh… when Dad took us to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, on the pack-mule ride?" Sam asked out of the blue.

Dean's brows furrowed. "The what?"

"And you're, uh… your mule kept farting, just—l-letting go, like, gale force?" Sam continued.

"Dude, you were like, four years old," Dean replied. "I barely remember that."

"You rode a farty donkey." Sam laughed. "Angie, he rode a farty donkey!"

"That's very funny, baby." Angela continued running her fingers through his hair.

"Okay." Dean sighed. "Uh, I'm gonna go check out the Two Rivers Tribal Museum and Trading Post."

"Yeah. Yeah!" Sam sat up quickly. "Angie and I are gonna—we're gonna, uh, we're gonna follow the hotel manager, D-Dr. Scowley-scowl. He's like a villain from _Scooby-Doo._ "

"No. No, honey, we're gonna stay here." Angela replied. "And you're gonna get some rest, okay?"

"Yeah, I can do that too." Sam pressed a big kiss to her cheek before promptly falling back onto the bed.

~/~\~

"The people of the Two Rivers tribe came to this land centuries ago." The museum clerk noted. "A land that was harsh, and stony. But the mighty leader told his people that they must stay here. He claimed that this was the home on Earth of the great spirit's sacred messenger, and that if they'd make their offerings, their blessings would be many."

"What were the offerings?" Dean asked curiously.

"Huh?"

"Uh, what did the great spirit's sacred messenger as for?" he clarified.

"Stories." The clerk replied. "He asked the people to tell him stories."

Dean spotted an old photo on which the hotel's manager looked exactly as he did now.

"I bet I know what the blessings here," Dean muttered.

~/~\~

Sam tossed around on the bed, feverishly, then got up.

"Sammy, what're you doing? Where are you going?" Angela asked concernedly.

~/~\~

Sam staggered down the hallway, holding onto the wall for support. Angela followed close behind him, holding Grace.

"Sam, you need to rest." She pressed.

Sam looked around as the ringing noise and blurred vision returned. The elevator at the end of the hallway opened. Sam pulled Angela to hide in a nearby alcove while the manager placed a stack of boxes in front of one of the rooms. As soon as he left, Sam and Angela made their way over. Sam opened up one of the boxes, which turned out to be full of books.

~/~\~

Sam stumbled back into the room, Angela close behind him. Angela immediately pulled out her phone with her free hand. She dialed Dean's number just as Sam passed out.

 _"Angie?"_ Dean's voice rang through.

"Dean, Dean, something's wrong!" she replied frantically. "Sam—he, he passed out!"

 _"Okay, kid, I'll be right there,"_ Dean assured. _"Try and stay calm, okay Angie?"_


	43. The Great Escapist Part 2

Grace was in her pack-and-play while Angela paced nervously in the motel room. Dean walked out of the bathroom.

"Kid, you need to relax." He sighed softly.

Angela stopped and looked at Dean, worry evident on her face. " _Relax?_ Dean, I can't relax, it's physically impossible!"

Dean put his hands on her shoulders, keeping her still. "Freaking out isn't gonna help, alright? Come on, sit down."

Angela just nodded and sat on the edge of one of the beds. "I'm sorry." She ran her hands over her face. "I'm just… I'm stressed. Something is _really_ wrong with him, Dean, a-and Gracie is still a newborn…"

Dean sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder comfortingly. "I know, sweetheart, I know. But you know that you're not alone in all this, right? You need to talk? I'm here. You need help with Gracie? I'm here. You don't need to shoulder this on your own."

"I know." She replied softly, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you, Dean."

Dean pressed a brotherly kiss to her temple. "Why don't you get some rest, okay?" he suggested. "I'll let you know when Sam wakes up."

~/~\~

About an hour later, Angela had woken up from her nap and she and Dean stood in the bathroom. Finally, Sam came around, submerged in a bath of ice water. Dean and Angela immediately helped him out of the tub.

"Get off!" he yelled, pushing them away.

"Take it easy, Sam," Dean replied firmly. "Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, take it easy, take it…" he handed Sam a towel. "Angie called me saying you had passed out."

"Your temperature was 107," Angela added. "We had to force it down or you were toast."

"He's here." Sam breathed, wrapping the towel around himself. "Metatron is here, I know it, I can hear him."

Dean's brows furrowed. "What're you talking about?"

"All I know is that I'm connected to it somehow."

"What, like you got a link to him, like a prophet?" Angela asked, confused.

"I don't know!" Sam exclaimed. "I just know he's here. Metatron is here."

"Okay, 'here' where?" Dean sighed.

"I can show you. I can show you." Sam replied. "The manager, remember, Angie? He was delivering books to him."

"Books?" Dean raised his brows.

"Yeah, hardcovers, paperbacks, just tons of books." Angela nodded.

"Stories," Dean muttered.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked out of their motel room. Angela carried Grace in the papoose carrier.

"We should be taking you to the ER," Dean argued.

"They can't do anything for me," Sam replied. "You know, I've been remembering things, little things, so clearly—

"What, donkey rides?" Dean muttered.

"You used to read to me, um, when I was little, I—I mean, really little," Sam started. "From that—from that old, uh… Classics Illustrated comic book. You remember that?"

"No," Dean replied obviously.

"Knights of the Round Table," Sam replied. "Had all of King Arthur's knights, and they were all on the quest for the Holy Grail. And I remember looking at this picture of Sir Galahad, and, and, and he was kneeling, and—and light streaming over his face, and—I remember… thinking, uh, I could never go on a quest like that." He explained. "Because I'm not clean. I mean, I w—I was just a little kid. You think… maybe I knew? I mean, deep down, that—I had… demon blood in me, and about the evil of it, and that I'm—wasn't pure?"

Angela looked up at Sam, tears in her eyes. "Sammy, it's not your fault."

"It doesn't matter anymore, baby." He assured. "Because these trials… they're _purifying_ me."

The three hunters eventually reached the end of the hallway. Sam frowned deeply.

"They were here, the—the—the books, the boxes!" he exclaimed. "They—they're gone."

Dean noticed that the door was ajar and pushed it open all the way.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked into the room, which was filled with thousands of books. They rounded the corner and came face-to-face with Metatron, who aimed a rifle at them.

~/~\~

"Who're you?" Metatron demanded.

"Metatron?" Angela raised her brows.

"This is Metatron?" Dean frowned, turning to Sam. "This is Metatron?"

Metatron suddenly appeared behind them. "Sit down."

The three hunters did as they were told and sat down. Sam clutched his head as the ringing returned, increasing in volume.

"Who sent you?" Metatron questioned.

"We came on our own." Sam half-shouted. "We're the Winchesters!"

"I'm Angela, this is Dean, and this is Sam." She introduced.

"You work for Michael? Or Lucifer? Or Sophia?" Metatron interrogated.

Sam's brows furrowed. "What, you really haven't heard of us? What kind of angel are you, we're—we're the _freaking_ Winchesters!"

"Michael, Lucifer, and Sophia?" Angela frowned. "They're… they're in the deep-fryer."

"Yeah. We put them there ourselves." Sam confirmed.

"What about Gabriel? And Raphael?"

"Dead."

"You really don't know this?" Dean asked, confused.

"I've been very careful," Metatron replied.

"Hey, can you—can you turn that down?" Sam asked.

"Turn what dow—oh." Metatron realized. "You're resonating."

"Resonating?" Angela asked worriedly. "What—what do you mean, resonating?"

"You've undertaken the trials." Metatron ignored Angela's question. "You're trying to pull one of the great levers, aren't you? You're pretty far along, too. You get that far along, you start resonating with the Word. Or with its source on the material plane. With me."

"You said you were being careful," Dean noted. "Careful how?"

"I'm not one of them." Metatron sighed. "I'm not an archangel. Really more run-of-the-mill. I worked in the secretarial pool before God chose me to take down the Word. Anyway, he… seemed very worried about his work, what would happen to it when he left, so he had me write down instructions. Then, he was gone. After that, the archangels took over." He explained as he sat down. "And they cried, and they wailed. They wanted their father back. I mean, we all did. But then… then they started to scheme. The archangels decided if they couldn't have Dad, they'd take over the universe themselves. But they couldn't do anything that big without the Word of God. So, I began to realize, maybe they would realize… they needed me."

"So, you get a ruffle in your feathers and just decide to disappear? Go stick your head in the sand, forever?" Dean questioned. "You have no idea what's been going on out there."

"Nope." Metatron shrugged. "That's the whole point."

"So, you have been holed up here, or, or, or in a wigwam, or before that in some cave, listening to stories, readings books?" Dean asked.

Metatron grinned. "And it was something to watch. What you brought to His Earth, all the mayhem, the murder. Just the raw, wild invention of God's naked apes… it was mind-blowing. But really, really it was your storytelling. That is the true flower of free will. At least as you've mastered it so far." He explained. "When you create stories, you become gods, of tiny, intricate dimensions unto themselves. So many worlds! I have read… as much as it's possible for an angel to read, and I haven't caught up."

"You know what?" Sam stood up. "Pull the frigging trigger."

Metatron immediately looked confused. "What?"

"Pull the freaking trigger, you cowardly piece of garbage." Sam stalked towards the angel.

"Sam. Hey!" Dean exclaimed.

Sam grabbed the end of Metatron's rifle and pointed it at himself. "All the time you've been hiding here, how much suffering have you read over? Humanity's suffering! And how much of it has been at the hands of your kind?!"

Angela stood up and grabbed Sam's hand. "C'mere, hey." She murmured, pushing him back slightly.

Dean glared at Metatron. "You want a story? Try Kevin Tran's story. He was just a kid! He was a good, straight-A kid, and then he got sucked into all of this—this angel crap. He became a prophet, of the Word of God. Your prophet. Now, you should've been looking out for him, but no! Instead, you're here, holed up, reading books."

"He's dead now. Because of you." Sam spat.

~/~\~

Kevin lied unconscious in one of the chairs. Metatron placed a glowing hand on Kevin's chest and the bruises around his neck faded away.

"Is that it? Is he good?" Angela asked.

"Give him a minute," Metatron replied, walking off.

Dean and Angela looked at each other before following the angel.

"How did you get past Crowley's angel-warding?" Dean asked curiously.

"I'm the Scribe of God." Metatron shrugged. "I erased it."

"But you saw, right?" Dean asked. "I mean, you… you're caught up on everything that's been going on. All the crap that your brethren's been doing to humanity all this time?"

"I saved the boy, didn't I?"

"But are you in?" Angela asked. "With us."

Metatron looked between Angela and Dean. "You really intend on closing the doors of Hell?"

"Seems like the thing to do, don't it?" Dean shrugged.

"It's your choice," Metatron replied. "And that's what this has all been about, the choices your kind make. But you're gonna have to weigh that choice. Ask yourselves: what is it going to take to do this, and what will the world be like after it's done?"

"Dean? Angie!" Sam called from the other room.

Dean and Angela rushed into the room as Kevin started to come around.

"Kevin?" Angela walked over to him. "Hey, hon."

"Thought we lost you, kiddo," Dean muttered.

"I'm good." Kevin breathed, pulling out the demon tablet. "Second half of the tablet. And I got it. Third trial. I didn't tell Crowley."

"So, what is it?" Sam pressed.

"To cure a demon," Metatron said.

"Yeah." Kevin nodded, staring at the angel. "Who are you?"

~/~\~

The Impala sped down the dark road. Grace was in her car seat sleeping.

"Cure a demon. Okay, ignoring the fact that we have no idea what that actually means, if we—if we do this, you get better, right?" Dean asked. "I mean, you stop trying to cough up a lung, and, and, and bumping into furniture?"

"I feel better, yeah, um, just having a direction to move in," Sam replied.

"Well, good," Angela replied, pressing a quick kiss to his jaw. "Cause, where we're headed, doesn't sound like a picnic."

"But we're heading somewhere. The end." Sam muttered.

Suddenly, Dean stopped the car abruptly as the spotted a figure lying in the middle of the road. Grace immediately woke up crying. Dean jumped out of the car and stared at the figure.

"Cas?"

"A little help, here?" Castiel asked weakly.


	44. Clip Show Part 1

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Sam and Angela sat at a table in the bunker. Grace sat in a highchair in between the couple, shaking a rattle.

"Please tell me that's everything," Sam said hopefully as Dean walked in carrying some files.

"Yeah." Dean chuckled. "No, not even close. You see, the Men of Letters kept files on every demonic possession for the last 300 years, I mean, we've got Borden, Lizzy, all the way to Crane, Ichabod."

"Ah." Sam nodded.

"How you feeling?" Dean asked, changing the subject.

"Honestly," Sam sighed. "Um… my, uh, my whole body hurts. I feel nauseous and like I'm starving at the same time, and everything smells like rotting meat."

Dean and Angela shared a concerned look.

"I've had that hangover. Jaeger, man." Dean muttered. "Maybe you should, uh, take a break, get some air."

Sam shook his head. "The only thing that's gonna make me feel better is finishing this."

"Alright. Well, I'll go get you some grub, keep your strength up." Dean replied. "You want anything, Angie?"

"I'm good. Thanks, though." Angela smiled softly.

Dean nodded and walked out of the room just as Castiel walked in.

"Morning." The angel greeted. "I like this bunker. It's orderly."

"Oh, give us a few months." Angela chuckled. "Dean wants to get a ping-pong table."

"I've heard of that. It's a game, right?" Castiel asked, groaning slightly as he sat down.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked concernedly.

"My wound isn't healing as quickly as I'd hoped… But I am getting better." Castiel replied. "And you're getting worse."

Sam sighed heavily. "Well, two trials down, one to go."

"And the final test, do you—you know what it is?" Castiel asked curiously.

"I have to cure a demon."

Castiel's brows furrowed. "Of what?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Angela replied.

Dean walked back into the room carrying a tray. "Soup's on. There we go. I think this is, uh…" he sipped from the open beer. "Oh, it's still good."

Sam looked up at his brother with a frown. "A half-drunk beer, jerky, and three peanut-butter cups?"

"Yeah," Dean pursed his lips. "We're—we're running a little low. I'll make a run."

"Dean, I can go with you," Castiel suggested, getting no response. "Dean. I'm sorry."

"For what?" Dean asked as he shrugged on his jacket.

"For everything."

"Everything?" Dean raised his brows. "Like, uh… Like ignoring us?"

"Yes." Castiel nodded.

"Or like bolting off with the Angel Tablet, then losing it 'cause you didn't trust me and Angie?" Dean questioned. "You didn't trust us."

"Yes."

"Yeah." Dean scoffed. "Nah, that's not gonna cut it. Not this time. So, you can take your little apology and you cram it up your ass."

"Dean, I thought I was doing the right thing," Castiel replied sincerely.

"Yeah, you always do."

Sam cleared his throat. "Hey, uh, do we have a room 7B?"

~/~\~

"Dean, go easy on Cas, okay." Angela sighed as they walked into the room. "He's one of the good guys."

"If anybody else—I mean _anybody_ —pulled that kind of crap, I would stab them in their neck on principle," Dean replied. "Why should I give him a free pass? Why are you giving him a free pass, Angie?"

"Because it's Cas." She shrugged as Grace tugged on her flannel shirt.

"What are we supposed to be looking for down here?" Dean changed the subject.

"Um, anything on case 1138," Sam answered. "It was a class five infernal event—St. Louis, March 8, 1957."

"Class five infernal event?" Dean raised his brows.

"Yeah. See, the Letters have this whole rating system." Sam explained. " _The Exorcist_ would have been a class two."

"Alright, so, what makes this puppet show so special?" Dean muttered.

"It was weird." Angela shrugged.

"Weird how?"

"No clue," Sam replied. "One of the files just had a note written in the margin about room 7B and the word 'weird' with three exclamation points."

"Good times."

"Yeah. Got it." Sam bent down and grabbed a box.

"Sammy, Angie, check this out," Dean called.

Dean pushed back two sets of shelves to reveal an area with a large devil's trap on the floor and manacles on the walls.

"Whoa." Angela breathed.

"Is that a devil's trap?" Sam asked.

"It takes up half the room. These chains—they have spell work etched into them." Angela noted.

"So, we have a dungeon. Finally!" Dean smirked, looking at the box in Sam's hand. "What do you got there?"

Sam pulled a tape from the envelope. "Movie night?"

~/~\~

Sam clicked the projector on.

" _Simon, we're filming_ ," Josie said from behind the camera.

" _Um, hello, world_ ," Simon replied uncertainly.

" _So, this new ritual we're going to see, this new type of exorcism, h-how does it work?_ " Josie asked.

" _I don't know. It's my first time_." Simon admitted as they walked by a mirror.

"Wait, is that Abaddon?" Sam's brows furrowed.

" _Aah! Aah!_ " A woman screamed.

"It's not killy enough." Dean shook his head. "It's got to be the, uh, the chick she possessed."

" _Hurry. We must do it now._ " The Father instructed.

" _Dead! They're all dead!_ " the demon screamed. " _Everyone you ever loved…_ "

"Hey, those chains look exactly like the ones in our dungeon," Sam noted.

Castiel's brows furrowed. "In your what?"

" _Aah! Aah! Aah!_ " the demon screamed in agony.

" _Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus… hanc animam redintegra… Lustra! Lustra!_ " the Father chanted, pressing his hand to the demon's mouth. " _She's dead_."

" _Where's the demon?_ " Josie asked.

" _Stop filming._ "

" _What happened?_ " Josie pressed.

" _Will you just stop?!_ "

Angela clicked the projector off. "Well, that was weird… with three exclamation points."

"That wasn't a normal exorcism," Sam added. "They changed the words."

"I believe 'lustra' is Latin for wash or cleanse," Castiel noted.

"Oh, yeah, 'cause the most freaky thing was the vocabulary." Dean sassed. "What about the bloody high-five or the chest-burster? Anything else on the film, like director's commentary, sequel, maybe?"

"Yeah, listen to this," Sam started. "The older priest, Max Thompson, bit the dust in '58, but the younger one is still alive and still in St. Louis."

"Think this kind of weird is worth the drive?" Dean asked.

"Dean, everything in those folders—the possessions, the deals, all of it—we've seen that before, but that—that was all new," Sam replied. "Yeah, it's worth the drive."

"Alright." Dean nodded. "Let's roll."

Castiel stood up and Dean narrowed his eyes.

"Not you."

"Sam is more damaged than I am," Castiel argued.

"Yeah, well, you know, even banged up, Sammy comes through." Dean retorted.

"Dean, I just want to help."

"We don't need your help!" Dean snapped. "Just stay here and—and get better."

~/~\~

_St. Louis_

"Father Thompson had some unorthodox ideas, which is why the Men of Letters were interested." Father Simon explained.

"Unorthodox how?" Angela asked as she adjusted Grace in her arms.

"He believed demons could be saved."

"What exactly do you mean, 'saved'?" Sam questioned.

"A demon is a human soul, twisted and corrupted by its time in Hell." Father Simon replied. "Father Thompson believed that you could wash that taint away and restore their humanity."

"So, what, they just stay in whatever schmuck they're possessing and—and get a ticket upstairs?" Dean raised a brow.

"I wish I knew." Father Simon sighed.

"Okay, but this—this ritual… Can cure a demon?" Sam asked.

"I suppose, if it worked, but that night, something went terribly wrong. The demon escaped into the world, and the poor old woman…" Father Simon muttered. "It was horrible. I know Father Thompson kept trying. There were other possessions, experiments, but I couldn't face that—not again. And then, a few months later… he was dead."

"How'd that happen?" Angela asked.

"Something tore him apart." Father Simon said grimly.

"Did he keep any, uh," Sam coughed violently. "Did he keep records or…" he coughed again. "Uh," he cleared his throat. "Do you have a—a bathroom, maybe?"

Father Simon pointed to the back of the church.

"Thanks," Sam replied as he got up and walked away.

"Is he alright?" Father Simon asked.

Dean pursed his lips. "Uh, no, Padre. He's… pretty damn far from alright. That's why we're here."

Father Simon looked confused. "I don't understand."

"Well, the short story is, uh, Sammy there is gonna take whatever shredded your friend and every other black-eyed bitch out there, and he's gonna get rid of them for good," Dean explained.

"He is?" Father Simon asked skeptically. "In his condition?"

"Father, over the past couple of months, we have seen him do crap that we didn't even think was possible," Angela replied. "I mean, sure, he's miserable and he's hurting, but you know what? There's not a doubt in our minds that he's gonna cross that finish line—not one. So, will you help us? Please?"

Father Simon nodded. "I'll get Father Thompson's things for you."

"Thank you," Angela replied sincerely.

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

"We can't find Cas." Sam sighed. "You think he blew town?"

"Sounds like him," Dean muttered. "So, it turns out that, uh, Father Thompson recorded all of his demon-cure tests. This one here, this was the last one-two days before he died." He explained as he started playing the recording.

" _The date is August 3, 1958,_ " Father Thompson started. " _This is trial 19, hour one. My subject is Peter Kent. Mr. Kent is the father of two young sons, and three weeks ago, he was possessed by a demon. I'm going to ask you a question now. When you crawled into Mr. Kent and ate his children, how did it feel?_ "

" _Orgasmic._ " The demon snarled. " _Aah!_ " he screamed as blood was injected into him.

" _The first dose has been administered._ " Father Thompson noted.

"Do we know what Padre was dosing number-one dad up with?" Dean asked.

"Uh, yeah, his own purified blood," Sam answered.

"Purified how?" Angela asked.

"Before he started, Father Thompson went to confession," Sam explained.

" _This is trial 19, hour two. When you ate his children, how did it feel?_ "

" _Stringy!_ " the demon yelled. " _Aa!_ "

" _The second dose has been administered. Hour four. When you ate his children—_

" _Kiss my ass!_ "

" _How did it feel?_ "

" _Soft_." The demon answered. " _Aaaah!_ "

" _The sixth dose has been administered._ "

" _Stop._ " The demon begged.

" _How… did it… feel?_ "

" _Stop!_ " the demon pleaded, breathing heavily.

" _Hour eight, the subject is prepped._ " Father Thompson noted. " _Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus. Hanc animam redintegra, lustra! Lustra! When you ate his children, how did it feel?_ "

" _They were screaming… and I laughed. Why did I laugh?_ " the demon asked. " _I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. God, I was a monster._ "

" _But now you are a man again. And you have been saved._ "

"Did he just… cure a demon?" Angela whispered.

"Maybe." Dean exhaled softly. "Could we take this hoodoo on a test drive?"

"Um, I mean, I have the exorcism right here." Sam shrugged. "All we need is the blood, consecrated ground, and a demon."

"So, what?" Angela raised a brow. "We summon a demon, trap it—

"Or—or we use one that we've already tagged," Dean suggested. "Sam do we still have dad's old army field surgeon's kit?"

"It's in the trunk. Why?"

"Yeah, I think it's time we put Humpty Dumpty back together again," Dean muttered.


	45. Clip Show Part 2

Sam, Dean, and Angela stood in the abandoned warehouse. Angela carried Grace in the papoose carrier.

"So, you really think this will work?" Angela asked skeptically.

"We got needles. We got thread. We've seen _'Young Frankenstein'_ about a thousand times." Dean shrugged. "Yeah, we're golden."

"Ugh." Sam sighed. "This is gonna be disgusting."

"Uh-huh." Dean agreed.

Sam grimaced as he stitched Abaddon's head back onto her body. He cut the extra thread and Abaddon's eyes opened immediately.

"Morning, sunshines." She smiled.

"It worked." Dean breathed, looking at Sam and Angela. "You guys owe me a beer."

"And I owe you three so, so much," Abaddon smirked. "I can't wait to tear out those pretty green eyes."

"Good luck with that." Angela retorted. "We figured kitty didn't need her claws."

Abaddon glanced down and noticed that her hands had been cut off. "Then I'll stump you to death. It'll be swell."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen, either," Sam replied. "The bullet—remember?"

"So, you sit there like a good little bitch," Dean instructed. "We're gonna consecrate the ground, and you're gonna get to fessing up."

Abaddon scoffed. "Oh, I know this tune."

"I doubt that," Dean argued.

"Father Max Thompson, born October 12, 1910. Died August 5, 1958. Who do you think ripped him apart?" she raised her brows. "Word got back to home office that Maxie was messing with things, so we made an example. It wasn't my most artful kill, but it was effective. And bonus—before he died, he told me all about Josie Sands." She explained. "I found her, and I rode her into the Men of Letters." She laughed. "And what I did to them, that was art."

"So, you know what Max was doing?" Angela questioned.

"Fella screamed the basics… But it'll never work."

"You keep telling yourself that," Dean replied as Sam's phone started to ring.

 _"Hello, boy."_ Crowley's voice rang through.

"Crowley." Sam sighed.

"Crowley? The salesman?" Abaddon scoffed.

"Try the King of Hell." Dean retorted.

"This is a joke, right?"

"Stay," Sam commanded as the three hunters walked outside.

~/~\~

"Hold on. How'd you get this number?" Sam asked.

_"Ah, first things first—what are you wearing?"_

"Oh, okay," Angela rolled her eyes. "Hanging up now. Hang up."

 _"Fine."_ Crowley huffed. _"This isn't a social call. I was wondering… you three been reading the papers, say, Denver Times from yesterday? No? Well, you should. It's side-splitting. What the hell—I'm sexting you an address. Check it out. Then we'll talk. Cheerio."_ He hung up.

"Wait, what? Crowley?" Sam frowned.

"Here it is," Dean looked at his phone. "Vic's name is Tommy Collins. Tommy. Why do I know that name?"

"Well, Tommy Collins, we saved him from a Wendigo like forever ago," Sam explained. "Like, before we even met Angie."

Dean sighed heavily. "Okay, and, what, you think that Crowley blew his head off? Well, what are we dealing with here? Some sort of Demon-Wendigo team-up?"

"Uh, no clue." Sam sighed.

"Alright, well, we'll pour one out for Tommy later. As far as Crowley goes, screw him." Dean replied. "We got everything we need to put him in a permanent time-out."

~/~\~

The three hunters walked back into the warehouse, just to discover that Abaddon was gone.

"No." Dean groaned. "No! No! No! No!"

"She's gone." Angela frowned.

"She's—son of a bitch!"

"Dean!" Sam called out as he picked up the bloodied bullet. "It's a text message from Crowley—an address in Prosperity, Indiana."

"Prosperity?" Angela's brows furrowed. "Didn't we work a case there?"

"Yeah, yeah," Dean nodded. "The one with the witches and the baked goods."

"So, what? He's going after somebody there now?" Sam theorized.

"I don't know."

"We got to check it out," Angela stressed.

"Well, you know it's a trap," Dean argued.

"Of course it's a trap." Sam agreed. "But a trap means demons, and we could use one right now."

~/~\~

_Prosperity, Indiana_

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked into Jenny Klein's house. The three hunters turned on their flashlights and looked around.

"Sam. Angie," Dean called when he found her charred body in the oven.

Angela immediately covered Grace's eyes. "Is that… Jenny?"

Dean sighed sadly. "You were a great gal, Jenny Klein."

Suddenly, Sam's cell phone started to ring again. Dean rolled his eyes.

"What the hell are you doing, Crowley?" Sam demanded.

 _"Oh, Moosie, isn't it obvious?"_ Crowley's voice rang through. _"I'm killing everyone you've ever saved—the damsels in distress, the innocent whippersnappers, the would-be vampire chow—all of them."_

"How do you even know—

 _"I have my sources and a cracking research team."_ Crowley chuckled. _"When you three hit a town, you tend to leave a mess. Now, you're probably wondering why my droogs aren't in there giving you the bum's rush, so let's brass these tacks, shall we? I'm gonna gut one person every 12 hours until you bring me that Demon Tablet and stop this whole trials nonsense."_

"We don't have the tablet," Sam replied. "Kevin took it and—

 _"I took Kevin."_ Crowley interrupted. _"Then someone took him back. Word from the cloud is that it wasn't Heaven. So, either the cutest little Prophet in the world is with you three, or you better find him tout-bloody-suite because time, she is a-wasting. About now, you're thinking of ways to stop me. You won't be able to, but you'll try because that's what you do. You—you try. So, time for an object lesson. Indianapolis, the Ivy Motel, room 116. You have 57 minutes."_

~/~\~

The hotel room door opened, revealing Sarah Blake. Her eyes widened when she saw Sam.

"Sarah." He breathed.

"Sam? What's going on?"

~/~\~

Sam and Sarah sat next to each other on the hotel bed.

"So, a demon named Crowley is gonna kill me in… 16 minutes." Sarah peered at the digital clock.

"No," Sam replied firmly. "No, he's not."

There was a knock on the door and Dean and Angela walked into the room. Angela was holding Grace, who was sleeping, her tiny hands clutching Angela's shirt.

"Hi," Angela greeted as she started setting up the pack-and-play. "I'm Angela."

"Sarah, long time," Dean noted. "What're you doing in Indy?"

"I… was scouting an estate sale for my dad." She replied.

"Look, we're gonna put devil's traps everywhere—the windows, the door. We've got holy water, an exorcism ready to play on a loop, and anything that comes through that door—it's meat." Sam explained. "Look, I know this is insane, but insane is kind of what we do. We'll keep you safe."

Sarah paused for a moment. "Okay."

"Okay?" Dean raised his brows. "That's it."

Sarah looked between Sam and Dean. "You've done it before."

~/~\~

Dean and Angela were spray-painting sigils on the window as Sam picked up Grace and sat next to Sarah. Sarah was fiddling with her ring.

"That's new," Sam noted.

"Yeah, I… His name is Ian," Sarah replied. "He works search and rescue. Guess I have a type. Our daughter, Bess—she'll be one in a month."

"That's great." Sam smiled sincerely.

"Thanks, Sam." Sarah nodded. "And what about you?" she gave a pointed look at Grace.

"This is Gracie, mine and Angie's daughter. She'll be 3-months-old soon." Sam replied with a small smile. "Angie and I have been together for years, and we recently got married."

Sarah smiled softly. "That's amazing, Sam. I'm happy for you. I can just tell… you seem… more focused, confident, like… like you know what you want. You grew up, Sam."

Sam's smile grew and he looked over at Angela. "I owe most of it to Angie. She's been my rock."

Sarah glanced over at Angela. "She seems great." She turned back to Sam. "I do miss the old haircut, though."

Sam chuckled, and suddenly the hotel room's phone started ringing.

"Crowley." Dean spat.

 _"Five… Four… Trois… Zwei… Uno…"_ Crowley's voice rang through.

Suddenly, Sarah started gasping for breath. Sam put Grace in her pack-and-play and rushed over to Sarah. Angela rushed over to kneel on Sarah's other side.

"Sarah! Hey! Hey! Hey!" Sam called out.

"Sarah, can you hear us?" Angela asked as Sarah continued choking.

 _"She's dying, and there's nothing you can do about it."_ Crowley retorted.

"You son of a bitch!" Dean yelled.

 _"Son of a witch, actually."_ He corrected. _"My mommy taught me a few tricks. It's a spell. Find the hex bag. I thought of sending in a few of my bruisers, really letting them go to town. But then, well, trial one was kill a Hellhound. Trial two was rescue a soul from the pit."_ He explained. _"So, from here on, I'm gonna keep everything hell-related—demons, et cetera—away from you. Safe side and all that—plus, I just thought it seemed fitting. From what I understand, Sammy took that bird's breath away. What's the line?"_ Crowley pondered. _"Saving people, hunting things—the family business. Well, I think the people you save, they're how you justify your pathetic little lives. The alcoholism, the collateral damage, the pain you've caused—the one thing that allows you to sleep at night, the one thing is knowing that these folks are out there, still out there happy and healthy because of you, you great, big, bloody heroes."_

"Hey! Hey! Hey! You're gonna be okay." Sam assured Sarah.

_"Sarah? They're your life's work, and I'm going to rip it apart piece by piece because I can, because you can't stop me, and because when they're all gone, what will you have left?"_

"No." Sam breathed as Sarah died. "No, no, no. No. No, please, no."

 _"You want to keep those people alive,"_ Crowley noted. _"I want complete and utter surrender. The tablet, the trials—you'll give them up, or we'll keep doing this dance. And eventually, I'll come after that little bundle of joy, what's her name, Grace? Your choice, my darlings."_

Sam, Dean, and Angela had searched everywhere for the hex bag but never found it. Dean hurled the phone against the wall. The phone broke, and with horror, they found out the hex bag was hidden there the whole time.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked into the bunker's library. Sam was carrying Grace.

"You okay?"

"What do you think?" Sam scoffed.

Dean pursed his lips. "Look, I know it's bad right now, okay, but we stick to the plan. We shut down Hell."

"How, exactly?" Angela asked.

"We get a demon—

"You heard Crowley." Sam interrupted. "He's not gonna let one near us, and without a demon, all we can do is sit back and watch people we know, people we saved, die like Sarah. Dean, he threatened my daughter!"

"So, what are you saying?" Dean frowned.

"Maybe this isn't one we can win." Angela murmured. "Maybe we should just take the deal."

"We'll figure this out. We will." Dean assured. "We'll kick it in the ass like we always do. Are you guys with me?"

Sam sighed heavily and looked down at Angela. "Can we just go to bed, baby?"

Angela nodded and took his free hand in hers. "Yeah. C'mon, Sammy."


	46. Sacrifice Part 1

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Dean dialed Crowley's number while Dean and Angela sat at the table in the library. Angela held Grace on her lap.

 _"You have less than one minute before a very dear, attractive, and slightly tipsy friend of yours snuffs it."_ Crowley's voice rang through.

Dean slammed his hands on the table. "Call it off, Crowley!"

_"Because?"_

Dean clenched his jaw in anger. "Because it's over, you son of a bitch. We want to deal."

 _"30 seconds."_ Crowley taunted.

"We stop the trials, and you stop the killing."

 _"I want the Demon Tablet,"_ Crowley replied. _"The whole Demon Tablet."_

"Fine," Dean sighed. "But then the Angel Tablet comes to us."

 _"On what grounds?!"_ Crowley asked incredulously.

"On the grounds that you're a douche bag and no douche bag should have that much power!" Dean snapped. "Deal or not?"

_"First, I need to hear two little words… 'I surrender.'"_

Dean rolled his eyes and looked off to his side.

~/~\~

The Impala sped down a wooded backroad and parked behind Kevin's car. Kevin was digging and he looked behind him to see the three hunters getting out of the Impala. They crossed the road over to Kevin who continued to dig. He took the Demon Tablet out of a shallow hole.

"You hid the Demon Tablet underneath the devil?" Dean gestured to the billboard. "Seriously?"

"What? I was delirious." Kevin defended as he placed both pieces of the tablet together. He handed the whole tablet to Sam. "You sure this is gonna work?"

"What choice do we have?" Sam retorted.

Dean took out the box that held the key to the bunker and handed it to Kevin. "Alright, listen, this is a secret lair. You understand me? No keggers."

"I don't have any friends." Kevin deadpanned.

"Yeah, well, just lay low," Dean instructed. "Who knows? You'll be a mathlete again before you know it."

Sam, Dean, and Angela began to walk away but Kevin stopped them.

"You guys?" he called out. "You're doing the right thing."

~/~\~

_Sioux Falls, South Dakota_

The Impala pulled into Bobby's junkyard and stopped near one of the old buildings on the lot. The three hunters got out of the car and walked up to one of Bobby's old cars. Angela shifted Grace in her arms.

"Hello, you three." Crowley greeted. "What's the old expression? Success has many fathers. Failure is a Winchester." He laughed. "Where's the stone?"

"You show us yours, and we'll show you ours," Dean replied.

"Really, Dean?" Crowley scoffed. "I'm trying to conduct a professional negotiation here, and you want to talk dangly bits? The stone."

Sam started to take the tablet out of his jacket.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Crowley stopped him. "Slowly."

Sam rolled his eyes and slowly pulled out the Demon Tablet.

"There she is." Crowley smiled, opening his jacket to reveal the Angel Tablet.

"And the contract?" Angela questioned.

Crowley pulled a scroll that he threw out to unroll between him and the hunters. Angela looked down at the enormous contract, then back at Crowley.

"Yeah, I'm sure there's no hidden agendas in there." She scoffed.

"The highlights—we swap tablets, you stand down from the trials forever." Crowley shrugged.

"And you stop killing everyone we've ever saved. And you stay the hell away from my daughter." Sam added.

"Agreed." Crowley nodded.

Dean reached in his jacket and pulled out a pen to sign the contract with. He uncapped the pen and moved towards the contract.

"Unh-unh-unh." Crowley yanked the contract back. "Nice try, squirrel. Moose is doing these trials. Moose signs."

"No, no." Dean shook his head. "He's not signing anything until I read the fine print."

Sam yanked the pen from Dean's hand. "I can read it."

"Hey, you wanted us here. We're here." Dean snapped. "But I'll be damned if I'm gonna let him screw us even more."

"What's this? Trouble in paradise?" Crowley chuckled.

~/~\~

"You're gonna move your lips the whole way up here, aren't you?" Crowley asked as Dean moved closer and closer as he read the contract. "You know why I always defeat you? It's your humanity. It's a built-in handicap. You always put emotion ahead of good, old-fashioned common sense. Let's have the big galoot sign it now, shall we?"

Sam walked up and nodded at Dean, who very quickly slapped a pair of cuffs onto Crowley's right wrist.

"Is this a joke?" Crowley glared. "You realize all I have to do is…" he snapped his finger, frowning when nothing happened.

"Unh-unh-unh." Dean mimicked with a smile. "Demonic handcuffs, jackass. No flicking, no teleporting, no smoking out—oh, and… no deal. Which pretty much means that you're our bitch."

"Fine." Crowley pursed his lips. "You want to play chain gang? Let's." he reached over and punched Dean in the face. "You saddled yourself to the wrong bull, mate."

Dean punched Crowley in the face and then took the Angel tablet out of his pocket and handed it to Angela. Dean grabbed ahold of the lapels of Crowley's jacket and shook him.

"I can do this all day, 'cause you know what?" Dean smirked. "Damn it feels good! But sooner or later, you're gonna have to face it—you're ours. Which means that your demon ass is going to be a mortal ass pretty damn quick."

Crowley looked over at Angela and Sam. "What's he mouthing on about?"

"You're the third trial, Crowley," Angela smirked.

~/~\~

The Impala pulled up in front of a small abandoned church. Dean cut the engine and they all got out of the car with Crowley in tow.

~/~\~

"You really think this is gonna hold me?" Crowley asked as Dean finished chaining him up. "That you're gonna cure me or whatever it is."

Dean tossed the spray can he was holding across the room. He just smirked at Crowley and walked out of the church.

~/~\~

Dean walked outside to where Sam and Angela were at the back of the Impala with the trunk open. Sam poured holy water into a jar, preparing for the next trial.

"He's primed. How you feeling?" Dean asked.

"Honestly, for the first time in a long time, it feels like we're gonna win. I'm good." Sam chuckled.

"Alright, well, no dancing in the end zone until we're finished." Dean reminded. "What's the good father's playbook say now?"

"Well…" Sam placed a lid on the jar. "Now that we got the consecrated ground, I just, uh, I slip Crowley one dose of blood every hour for eight hours and seal the deal with a bloody-fist sandwich. That should do it."

Angela adjusted Grace in her arms. "Your blood's supposed to be purified, isn't it? Have you ever done the 'forgive me, father' before?"

"Well, once, when I was a kid," Sam replied. "Which is why I have no clue what to say now."

"Well, I mean, I could give you suggestions if you want." Dean shrugged.

"O-okay. Yeah, sure." Sam nodded.

"Alright. Well, I'm just spit-balling here, but if I were you, uh…" Dean started. "Ruby, cheating on Angie, killing Lilith, letting Lucifer out, losing your soul, almost beating Angie to death… not looking for me when I went to Purgatory…"

"Thanks." Sam huffed as he continued to prepare for the trials.

"For starters." Dean shrugged. "Or, hey, h-how about what you did to, uh, Penny Markle in the sixth grade? Why don't you lead with that?"

Sam stopped walking and looked at Dean. "Well, that was you."

Dean thought for a moment. "Carry on."

"What the hell did you do to Penny Markle?" Angela muttered.

Sam just shook his head and walked into the little church.

~/~\~

Sam walked into a confessional and knelt down as he closed the door behind him. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Okay, um…. If anybody's listening, here goes."

~/~\~

Dean fiddled with something in the trunk of the Impala while Angela bottle-fed Grace. Suddenly, Castiel appeared next to them.

"Dean, Angela, I need your help."

"Little busy, Cas. Take a number." Dean muttered.

"I'm afraid this can't wait." Castiel pressed. "Naomi has taken Metatron."

"And you know Metatron how?" Angela questioned.

"I've been working with him on the Angel trials," Castiel answered.

Dean's brows furrowed. "The what?"

"We're gonna shut it all down—Heaven, Hell, all of it."

"Metatron, the guy who was full-on crazy, cat-lady-hoarder angel yesterday—now he wants to save Heaven?" Angela raised a brow.

"Yes, he wants to." Castiel nodded. "But I'm the only one who can. I can't fail, not on this one. I need your help."

Dean and Angela shared a look before Dean turned back to Castiel. "Look," he sighed. "Cas, that's all well and good, okay, but you're asking us to leave Sam, and we've got Crowley in there tied and trussed. Now, if anybody needs a chaperone while doing the heavy lifting, it's Sam."

"You should go," Sam said suddenly, causing Dean and Angela to face him. "At least one of you. Seriously. If we can get the angels locked up, too… That's a good day."

Angela looked up at Dean. "I'll stay and keep an eye on things here. You should go with Cas."

Dean pursed his lips and sighed. "Fine. Start the injections now. If I'm not back in eight hours, finish it, no questions, no hesitation."

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

Dean gathered a few items from the trunk. Once he was ready, Cas placed a hand on his shoulder and the two disappeared. Sam sighed heavily and Angela took his hand in hers, squeezing it comfortingly.

~/~\~

Back inside the church, Sam started to draw blood from his arm while Angela put Grace in the papoose carrier. Sam groaned slightly as he drew blood.

"You really think injecting me with human blood is gonna make me human?" Crowley asked from behind the two hunters. "Did you read that on the back of a cereal box?"

Sam stalked towards Crowley and jabbed the needle into his neck, injecting him with the blood. Crowley groaned in pain.

"You're miles out of your league, Moose." He glared. "See you in an hour."

Sam walked back towards Angela and the altar table. He held his arms out in front of him as they started to glow. Sam winced in pain and exhaled sharply. Angela looked at him, worry and concern evident on her face.

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Kevin, Dean, and Castiel stood around the table looking at the Angel Tablet.

"Is this a joke?" Kevin scoffed.

"No. It's the word of God." Castiel deadpanned.

Kevin looked up slightly at Castiel and chuckled. "What?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "It's a tablet. Alright, translate. That's what you do."

"Okay. Um, it's the Angel Tablet, which I've never laid eyes on in my life." Kevin retorted. "You want a translation in six hours when it took me six months and dead mom to translate a piece of the Demon Tablet?" he raised a brow as he poured whiskey into a small glass. "And according to your own words this morning…" he sat down in a nearby chair. "This is not what I do. It's what I did. You told me I was out, Dean."

"Yeah, well—

"And if this is gonna be the 'guys like us are never out' speech, save it."

Castiel grabbed Kevin by his sweater and yanked him up sharply, causing his glass to crash to the floor. "Dean's right."

"Cas!" Dean snapped.

"There is no out. Only duty." Castiel said firmly, ignoring Dean.

"Get the hell off me." Kevin glared.

"You are a Prophet of the Lord, always and forever…" Castiel reminded. "Until the day you cease to exist, and then another Prophet takes your place. Now, are you clear as to the task before you?"

Kevin nodded silently.

"Then do it, and let's go," Castiel commanded before he and Dean disappeared.


	47. Sacrifice Part 2

"How're you feeling, baby?" Angela asked softly.

"Good." Sam murmured as he checked his watch.

"You'll tell me if you're not?"

Sam nodded and pressed a kiss to Angela's temple. He walked towards Crowley and jammed the needle into his neck again. Crowley used this as an opportunity to bite a large chunk of flesh from Sam's arm. Sam grunted in pain and Angela rushed over.

"What the hell, Crowley?!" Angela snapped.

Sam punched Crowley hard across the face. "Biting?! Seriously?!"

Sam and Angela walked away towards the door of the church and walked outside to wrap Sam's wound.

~/~\~

_Houston, Texas_

Dean sat at the bar watching TV when Castiel walked in and sat next to him. Dean raised his brows slightly.

"Anything?" he questioned. "You've been gone long enough."

"No." Castiel sighed, frustrated. "There was one female, but…"

"What?"

"I don't think she was female," Castiel muttered. "Anything here?"

"Free drinks." Dean raised his bottle. "Your, uh, buddy over there thinks you saved his life."

"Do you really think it's wise to be drinking on the job?" Castiel asked skeptically.

"What show you been watching?" Dean sassed. "Talk to me. Are you sure about this? I mean, it's one thing me, Angie, and Sammy slamming the gates to the pit, but you—you're—you're boarding up Heaven, and you're locking the door behind you."

"Yeah. I know." Castiel nodded.

"You did a lot of damage up there, man." Dean reminded. "You think they're just gonna let that slide?"

"Do you mean do I think they'll kill me? Yeah, they might."

Dean sighed sadly. "So, this is it. E.T. goes home."

Suddenly, the door opened and both Castiel and Dean turned to see a woman enter and walk up with a beer delivery.

"Hey, there." Dwight greeted. "Where's Ed?"

"Flu. I'm Gail." The woman smiled.

"Well, okay, then."

"Showtime," Dean muttered.

"Let me give you a hand." Dwight grabbed a case of beer.

"Oh, thanks. Ah. You're a real gentleman." She smiled before looking at another man sitting at the bar. "Hey."

"Holy crud, this is like the first five minutes of every porno I've ever seen." Dean scoffed.

Gail handed Dwight a pen so he could sign for the beer. "Thanks."

"Gail, Rod." Dwight introduced the two as he signed.

"Ma'am." Rod greeted.

"Rod rides a stool here most days," Dwight explained.

Gail placed a hand on each of the man's shoulders. "I'll be seeing you both. Thanks for the help." She smiled as she gathered her things.

"No problem." Dwight nodded.

Gail left the bar, leaving Dean looking confused. Dwight and Rod stared at the TV.

"Damn, that's sweet." They said simultaneously.

Dwight and Rod turned to stare into each other's eyes. Dwight smiled slightly.

"How about the next one's on me?"

~/~\~

Crowley chuckled. "How we doing, Moose? Ain't it about time for the next love injection?" he asked. "Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes turn and face the strange." He sang.

Angela rubbed small circles on Sam's back as his arms began to glow again. Sam inhaled sharply and closed his eyes.

"Ch-ch-changes just gonna have to be a different man…" Crowley continued to sing. "Time may change me, but I can't trace—

Suddenly, the church began to rumble and shake violently. The floorboards began to crack until they reached the demon trap that held Crowley.

"Did you really think you could kidnap the King of Hell and no one was gonna notice?!" Crowley snapped. "Dumb nuts!"

The church door burst open as Abaddon strutted in.

"Hello, you three." She greeted with a malicious smile.

"Abaddon?" Crowley frowned. "They told me you were dead."

"So not," Abaddon replied.

"And the rest of the cavalry?"

"Oh, no, it's just little, old, unkillable me."

Sam reached behind him for his gun, but Abaddon flicked her wrist and tossed him across the room. She made another motion with her wrist, holding Angela against the wall. Sam groaned in pain and moved to stand up.

"Brilliant," Crowley noted. "Why send in a few grunts when you can send in a knight? Say your prayers, you two."

Abaddon sent Sam through a nearby window using her powers.

"Sam!" Angela cried.

"That'll do. Undo these." Crowley nodded to the cuffs. "I'll kill 'em myself."

~/~\~

Dean and Castiel waited for Gail outside of the plant as she walked out. She stopped the minute she noticed Castiel.

"Hello, brother."

Castiel pulled out his angel blade and stepped towards Gail. "Give us your bow."

"What?" her brows furrowed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Dean stopped Castiel. "Hey. Talk first, stab later."

~/~\~

Abaddon turned around, only to see Sam standing behind her. He tossed holy oil at her and quickly lit a match.

"I love the suit." He commented before he tossed it at Abaddon.

Immediately, Abaddon burst into flames and began to scream as she burned. She escaped her vessel in a demon black smoke and went out the window. Sam rushed over to Angela, looking both her and Grace over.

"You okay, baby?" he whispered.

"Mm-hmm." She nodded. "You?"

"I'll be better once we get this finished." He sighed.

~/~\~

"I've been afraid to go home for some time now," Gail noted. "Orders used to come once a day, and now it's chaos. It all seems to be breaking down. And you think you can fix that?"

Castiel nodded. "With time, yes."

"Take it, then." Gail held out her hand, offering her bow.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela placed Crowley back into an upright position in his chair.

"You did good back there, Moose." Crowley breathed. "I'll deny it if you ever quote me, but I'm a proud man. I'm proud of you."

Sam picked up the spray can. "Thanks."

Crowley frowned when he noticed the spray can. "Hold on. Uh, w-what's that?"

"It's what it looks like," Sam muttered as he repainted the trap.

"Are you joking? I just saved your life!"

Sam looked over at Angela. "Hear that, Angie? He saved our lives."

Angela scoffed. "Seriously?"

"Seriously? Me, seriously?" Crowley looked at the couple. "We just shared a foxhole, you and I… We beat the Tet Offensive, outrun the—the Rape of Nanking together! And you're still gonna do me like this?!"

Sam walked over to Crowley and pulled his head to the side and then stuck the needle into the side of his neck. Crowley yelled in pain.

"Band of Brothers? The Pacific? None of this means nothing to you?" he blabbered. "All those motels, you never once watched HBO, not once? Girls? You're my Marnie, Moose. A-and Hannah—she just—she needs to be loved. She deserves it. Don't we all—I deserve to be loved! I just want to be loved."

Sam and Angela shared confused looks, then looked back at Crowley.

"What?" Sam asked.

Crowley himself seemed to be confused. "What?"

~/~\~

Sam looked incredibly drained and he began to take more blood from his arm, wincing as he did so. Angela ran her fingers through his hair and Grace babbled from her place in her carrier.

"Would it be possible, Moose… I'd like… to ask you a favor, Sam," Crowley commented. "Earlier, when you were confessing back there… what did you say? I only ask because, given my history… it raises the question… Where do I start… to even look for forgiveness? I mean…"

"How about we start with this?" Sam held up the needle.

~/~\~

Dean and Castiel walked down the dark path. Dean was talking on the phone with Kevin.

 _"I think I found the Angel trials, but I don't see anything about a Nephilim or a Cupid's bow or anything like that."_ Kevin's voice rang through.

"Oh, come on, Kev!" Dean groaned. "We're on the one-yard line here."

_"Okay, a-and I should have mentioned this six months ago, but the sports metaphors—you want to motivate me, 'Magic' cards, 'Skyrim, Aziz Ansari."_

Castiel heard the rustle of angel wings behind him and turned just to see Naomi.

"I'm not here to fight you, Castiel." She said sincerely.

Dean, hearing Naomi, turned around and dropped the phone to his side, keeping Kevin on the line.

 _"Dean?"_ Kevin asked.

"Not anymore," Naomi assured.

_"Dean?"_

"Where is Metatron?" Castiel demanded.

"He told you he was going to fix Heaven, didn't he? Murdering a Nephilim, cutting off a cupid's bow—it's a lie, all of it." Naomi explained. "I've been in his head."

"You've been in all our heads." Castiel glared. "That's the problem."

"No, Castiel, you're wrong," Naomi argued.

Castiel shook his head. "This is what you do. You twist things. I'm trying to fix Heaven. Metatron is trying to fix Heaven."

"Metatron isn't trying to fix anything." Naomi pressed. "He's trying to break it—an act of revenge for driving him away."

"Break it how?" Dean asked curiously.

"Dean!" Castiel snapped.

"Expel all angels from Heaven, just as God cast out Lucifer." Naomi continued.

Dean frowned in confusion. "Cast you out? To where? Hell?"

Naomi shook her head. "Here. Thousands of us, walking the Earth."

"Lies," Castiel growled as he began to charge at her.

Dean immediately stopped Castiel "Wait!"

"Our mission was to protect what God created. I don't know when we forgot that." Naomi added. "I want nothing more than to see you shut the Gates of Hell, but I told you that you could trust me. If Sam completes those trials, he is going to die."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean demanded.

"I saw it in Metatron's head. It was always God's intention—the ultimate sacrifice." Naomi explained. "As for you, Castiel, I beg of you, stop this path. Metatron has been neutralized. If you want back in, truly, I will listen." She added before disappearing.

Dean held the phone up to his ear. "Hey, right now, talk to me. Is she lying?"

 _"I don't know,"_ Kevin admitted.

"Well, find out!" Dean snapped before he hung up and started to dial Angela's number.

"She's lying," Castiel assured.

Dean ignored Castiel and anxiously waited for Angela to answer. "Angie! Angie!"

 _"Dean?"_ her voice rang through. _"What's wrong?!"_

"You need to stop Sam from doing finishing the trials—otherwise he's gonna die." Dean rushed.

_"What the hell are you talking about?!"_

"Just stop him! I'll be there shortly." Dean replied before hanging up. He looked up at Castiel. "Take me to him."

"Dean—

"Take me to him now!" Dean roared.

~/~\~

Sam exhaled sharply. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, hanc animam redintegra, lustra."

Angela pocketed her phone and ran over to Sam. "Sammy, you have to stop."

Sam frowned as he tossed the book he had used behind him. "Angie, we're so close, I have to finish this!" he retorted as he sliced his palm open, causing the orange glow to reappear.

"Sam, please," Angela begged. "Stop!"

Sam walked towards Crowley, and was about to place his hand on him when suddenly, Dean burst in, breathing heavily.

"Sammy, stop!" he pleaded as he walked towards him slowly. "Easy there. Okay. Just take it easy. We got a slight change of plan."

Sam looked between Angela and his brother. "What? What's going on? Where's Cas?!"

"Metatron lied. Sammy, if you finish this trial, you're dead." Angela explained.

Sam looked down at his wife, his brows furrowed. "So?"

Both Dean and Angela looked stunned at Sam's response. Angela swallowed heavily.

"What do you mean, 'so'?" she asked quietly.

"Look at him, Angie." Sam gestured to Crowley. "Look at him! Look at how close we are! Other people will die if I don't finish this!"

"Think about it," Angela said gently. "Think about what we know, huh? Pulling souls from Hell, curing demons, hell, ganking a Hellhound! We have enough knowledge on our side to turn the tide here. But we can't do it without you, baby."

"You can barely do it _with_ me." He retorted before looking at Dean. "I mean, you think I screw up everything I try. You think I need a chaperone, remember?"

"Come on, man." Dean sighed. "That's not what I meant."

"No, it's exactly what you meant. You want to know what I confessed in there?" Sam looked between his wife and brother. "What my greatest sin was? It was how many times I let you both down. I can't do that again."

"Sam—

"What happens when you've decided I can't be trusted again?" he asked Dean. "I mean, who are you gonna turn to next time instead of me? Another angel, another—another vampire? Do you have any idea what it feels like to watch your brother just—

"Hold on, hold on!" Dean stopped him. "You seriously think that? Because none of it— _none of it_ —is true. Listen, man, I know we've all had our disagreements. But, Sammy… come on. I killed Benny to save you. Angie and I are willing to let this bastard and all the sons of bitches that killed our moms because of you."

Angela walked closer to Sam, tears in her eyes. "Don't you dare think that there is anything, past or present, that we would put in front of you." She whispered sincerely. "It has never been like that, ever! We need you to see that. I'm begging you, Sammy."

Sam let out a shaky breath. "How do I stop?" he squeezed his hand as blood dripped out onto the floor.

"Just let it go," Dean instructed.

"I can't." Sam shook his head. "It's in me! You don't know what this feels like."

Angela wrapped a bandanna around Sam's cut. "Look at me, Sammy." She murmured. "We will figure it out, okay, like we always do. As a family. Come on."

Sam practically crumpled into her arms, and Angela pressed a kiss to his forehead. Grace started to babble from her place in the papoose carrier. Sam moved towards Dean, who pulled him into a tight hug.

"Come on. Let it go, okay? Let it go, brother." He whispered.

The orange glow in Sam's arms started to fade. Sam backed away slightly to look at his arms.

"Look, guys." He breathed.

"See?" Angela murmured.

Sam breathed shakily, then suddenly doubled over in pain. Dean and Angela immediately went on either side of him and led him out of the church.

"Sam? We got you, little brother." Dean assured. "You're gonna be just fine."

Sam groaned and fell next to the Impala in severe pain.

"Sam, Sammy?" Angela asked.

"Cas?! Dean yelled as Sam started wheezing. "Castiel?! Where the hell are you?"

Angela smoothed Sam's hair back. "Sammy, stay with us."

Dean and Angela looked up as the angels started falling from the sky. Grace started to cry loudly.

"No, Cas." Dean breathed out.

Sam opened his eyes and looked up. "What's happening?" he asked weakly.

"Angels. They're falling." Angela breathed.


End file.
